Kevin Durant Expected to Make Suns Debut, Return from Knee Injury vs. Hornets

The Phoenix Suns will get their first look at what they look like with Kevin Durant when he makes his debut on Wednesday.

The team announced Durant is expected to make his Suns debut against the Charlotte Hornets

Durant has been out of action since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 8 when he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets were vague about when Durant might be able to return. Head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters on Feb. 7 the 13-time All-Star received a "really good report" on his knee, but his timetable was still unclear.

Durant, who is a captain of the All-Star team, was ruled out for the game because of his injury. It's the third consecutive year he won't play in the NBA's midseason exhibition because of injuries.

Two days after Vaughn's comments, the Nets struck a deal with the Suns for Durant. The full trade was a four-team deal that also involved the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Brooklyn got Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Juan Pablo Vaulet and seven draft picks. The Suns got Durant and T.J. Warren.

Adding Durant was the first major move orchestrated by new Suns governor Mat Ishbia. The 43-year-old officially took over the franchise on Tuesday after receiving approval from the board of governors.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, Durant told Nets general manager Sean Marks he wanted to be traded to the Suns during a meeting on Feb. 6.

Durant was joining a Suns team that had been reeling this season following back-to-back years of success the likes of which the franchise hadn't experienced in more than a decade.

The Suns made it to the NBA Finals during the 2020-21 season for just the third time in franchise history. They lost to the Bucks in six games but looked like they were on a path back to the Finals last year during the regular season.

After winning a franchise-record 64 games during the 2021-22 regular season, the Suns fell apart in the playoffs. They blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to the Dallas Mavericks to lose in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Mavs won the final two games of that series by an average of 30 points.

Things haven't gone as smoothly for the Suns in the regular season this year, though they are still fourth in the Western Conference with a 33-29 record. Injuries kept Chris Paul and Devin Booker out of the lineup for extended periods of time. Both players are back in the starting lineup now.

Adding Durant to that group, which also includes Deandre Ayton, makes the Suns arguably the most formidable team in the west. He averaged 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 39 starts for the Nets.