The only people who have a real idea of when Kevin Durant will return to the court are Kevin Durant and his doctors. Any other reports suggesting that he will play in the upcoming season should be taken as nothing more than speculation. Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks attempted to make that clear while speaking with reporters on Tuesday.
Durant, who will turn 31 this weekend, suffered a torn achilles during the NBA Finals and the expectation was always that he'd miss the 2019-20 season as he recovers. However, rumors recently started swirling that KD could make his debut with the Brooklyn Nets much sooner than expected. In fact, the New York Post's Brian Lewis tweeted that there's a "growing sentiment" around many in the league that the two-time Finals MVP would play in the upcoming season.
When asked about the likelihood of such a scenario, Sean Marks explained that the team does not plan on playing him this year.
"The expectation is that he'll be out for the year. We're not going to plan on him playing."
The Nets will open the 2019-20 season with two home games, on their brand new all-gray court, against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 23, followed by a matchup with the New York Knicks on the 25th.
Check out Marks' full comments about KD's injury status in the video embedded below.