The Golden State Warriors, along with all NBA teams with money heading in to this off-season, got the worst news confirmed on Wednesday, as Kevin Durant announced that he suffered a ruptured Achilles. The injury occurred in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Toronto, which was Durant's first game back after missing over a month of action with a calf injury. KD was reportedly cleared by team doctors to play, but did not last one half, despite a very hot start that saw him score 11 points in 12 minutes.
Durant made the announcement on Instagram, with a picture of him in a hospital bed following the procedure, confirming what many already felt, as he was already expected to miss the rest of the Finals. This will also affect free agency this summer in a major way, as he was expected to be one of the top free agents this off-season. The likes of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks were already reported to have major interest in the superstar.
The Warriors' star went down after chasing a loose ball in the second quarter of Game 5, which was his first game since May 8th against the Houston Rockets. With the severity of the injury and the impact it will have on KD's career, the Warriors are taking some heat, as expected, on how they handled the injury. Head coach Steve Kerr at first said the team did not feel that they were putting Durant at risk by playing him on Monday, but then said in a press conference on Wednesday that they would most definitely change how they handled it if they could go back.
The Nets were the main team that had their eyes on Durant, as they were already said to have a plan that included both Durant and Kyrie Irving. It has been reported multiple times that Irving and the Nets have "mutual interest," although, that could change without KD in the picture. The Knicks have targeted Durant for multiple years, including the last time he was a free agent before joining the Warriors. And despite all of that, this entire summer in the NBA just got flipped upside down as a result of one injury.
Durant made the announcement on Instagram, with a picture of him in a hospital bed following the procedure, confirming what many already felt, as he was already expected to miss the rest of the Finals. This will also affect free agency this summer in a major way, as he was expected to be one of the top free agents this off-season. The likes of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks were already reported to have major interest in the superstar.
The Warriors' star went down after chasing a loose ball in the second quarter of Game 5, which was his first game since May 8th against the Houston Rockets. With the severity of the injury and the impact it will have on KD's career, the Warriors are taking some heat, as expected, on how they handled the injury. Head coach Steve Kerr at first said the team did not feel that they were putting Durant at risk by playing him on Monday, but then said in a press conference on Wednesday that they would most definitely change how they handled it if they could go back.
The Nets were the main team that had their eyes on Durant, as they were already said to have a plan that included both Durant and Kyrie Irving. It has been reported multiple times that Irving and the Nets have "mutual interest," although, that could change without KD in the picture. The Knicks have targeted Durant for multiple years, including the last time he was a free agent before joining the Warriors. And despite all of that, this entire summer in the NBA just got flipped upside down as a result of one injury.
