Kevin Durant's return to Bay Area set for Feb. 13 when Warriors host Nets
Kevin Durant was unable to play for the Brooklyn Nets last season due to an Achilles injury, but he's set to make his return to the floor during the 2020-21 campaign, which is set to begin later this month.
Official schedules haven't been announced, but The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater report that Durant will make his much-anticipated return to the Bay-area when the Nets travel to take on the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 13.
Durant spent three seasons with the Warriors from 2016-19, helping the team win back-to-back NBA titles in 2017 and 2018. During both of those championship runs, Durant was named Finals MVP.
The 32-year-old averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 38.4% from deep during three regular-season campaigns in Golden State.
When he left the Warriors and put pen to paper on a four-year, $164 million deal with the Nets, Durant said the opportunity to play with Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan and the team's young players "was key" in his decision to sign with the franchise.
When looking at the current state of the Warriors, Durant probably made the best decision for himself when choosing to sign with the Nets. Klay Thompson tore his Achilles and will be out for the entire 2020-21 season, meaning the Warriors could, once again, struggle. Last season, it was Stephen Curry who suffered a long-term injury, which caused the Warriors to plummet in the standings.
Although the Nets were without Durant and Irving for a majority of the 2019-20 campaign, they still managed to make it to the playoffs, signaling that Brooklyn might be in a better position for the future than the Warriors.
Despite his best interests, Warriors fans weren't too happy with Durant's decision to leave for Brooklyn, so his return in February certainly will be interesting.
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