NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal to Return from Injuries for Suns vs. Lakers

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant is expected to return to action alongside Bradley Beal during the team's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in NBA Cup action, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

Durant has missed the past seven games with a calf strain he suffered in early November. The Suns are just 1-6 in those games, with Beal also missing five of them due to a calf injury of his own.

If there is a knock you could levy against Durant in his illustrious career—namely in his later seasons—it's that durability has been an issue.

That wasn't the case in the 2023-24 season, when he played 75 games, though it was the first time since the 2018-19 campaign that he exceeded 55 games played.

There's no doubt that Durant is a huge factor on the offensive side of the ball. When healthy this season he's averaging 27.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent from three, and the four-time scoring champion remains one of the most effective bucket-getters in the NBA. Few players in NBA history have been more potent isolation scorers than Durant.

But his defense has also been important for these Suns.

"Defensively, he's really versatile for us," Grayson Allen told reporters in November. "He can switch out, guard a lot of guys. Good rebounder, good rim-protector."

There is no replacing a player like Durant, in other words, and Phoenix's struggles without him weren't a huge surprise. His return should get the team back on track, however—the Suns are 8-1 in games Durant has played this season. Adding Beal back to the fold will also be a major boost.