Kevin Durant speaks: ‘I’ll be back when it’s time’

Kevin Durant spoke on Lil Wayne’s Young Money Radio Tuesday and discussed the possibility of a return this season ... if and when the NBA resumes play. Did he say yes or no? Nope.

When Wayne insinuated that Sean Marks may have been out of bounds when he told a New Zealand news outlet that KD’s return was the “$110 million question,” it didn’t seem to bother the Nets superstar, as SNY’s Ian Begley noted.

“It is what it is man. Everybody waiting on me to come back,” Durant said on the show. “A lot of emotions involved. So I get it. I understand the business now. But I’ll be back when it’s time.”

Durant said he doesn’t feel the Nets are trying to rush him back, but admitted that the organization is eager to see him and Kyrie Irving on the court together.

“No, I wouldn’t say that. But obviously everybody’s anxious to see how we’re going to fit together, especially me and Kyrie,” Durant told Wayne. “It’s a new situation.”

But Durant expressed no doubt that the two will work out just fine, “Our games match, you know what I’m saying? We can do the same things, we’re similar. So it’s just a matter of figuring it out.”

As has been reported both before the shutdown and since, KD had been scrimmaging with a group of younger players called “The Extra Work Crew.” Although most of the scrimmages were 3-on-3, Chris Chiozza told the Glue Guys there were 4-on-4 and even 5-on-5 full court scrimmages.

“The first two days we played his handle was a little off because he hadn’t been playing. But after those first two days, if he gets much better than this I don’t know,” said Chiozza. “If he gets better than what he is right now, it is going to be a long season next year for whoever is guarding him.”

Of course since then, Durant tested positive for the coronavirus and self-quarantined for two weeks. Scrimmaging, of course, isn’t even permitted.

As Begley also reported, KD’s agent and manager Rich Kleiman SiriusXM Radio that he expects Durant to not just return to form, but be a better overall basketball player whenever he steps on the court.

“His game has never been completely reliant on athletic ability, though he’s got incredible athletic ability. His skill set is off the charts… And his intelligence for the game is at an all-time high,” Kleiman told Frank Isola and Wes Wilcox.

“…But having a year off and watching so much film and you saw how close he was to the team. He’s a hoops junkie. So I think maybe you’ll see a new version. And it may look the exact same but in terms of what he knows mentally and his continued commitment on the defensive end.

“You saw it in the Bay when he was playing a lot of point, he was an incredible distributor, he was great in the pick and roll, he could read the defense well. He could protect the rim. So I think you’ll just see a completely well-rounded, better version of him, to be honest.”

• Kevin Durant’s manager says ‘it’s unrealistic’ for All-Star to play for Nets if season returns - Ian Begley - SNY
• Rich Kleiman on ‘Basketball County,’ possibility of a Durant return and more - Sam Amick & Joe Vardon - The Athletic NBA
• Nets’ Kevin Durant: ‘I’ll be back when it’s time’ - Marc Berman - New York Post