Nets' Kevin Durant Could Play Sunday If He Continues to Test Negative for COVID

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant may return for Sunday's game against his old team.

"Can't wait for Sunday to come," Nets head coach Steve Nash said when revealing he believes Durant will be available for the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder if he continues to test negative for COVID-19, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.

Durant last played in this past Sunday's loss to the Washington Wizards.

Brooklyn is off to an inconsistent 4-4 start and already lost Spencer Dinwiddie for the season because of a torn ACL.

It is still expected to contend for a title thanks in large part to the pairing of Durant and Kyrie Irving. When available, Durant has not missed a beat and is averaging 28.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range.

The numbers are all the more impressive when considering he missed the entire 2019-20 season as he recovered from a ruptured Achilles.

The Nets still play the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and Memphis Grizzlies on Friday prior to Sunday's game against the Thunder. 

That means players such as Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Taurean Prince, Caris LeVert and Jeff Green will be tasked with providing scoring on the wing until Durant is ready to return. The Nets also announced Irving will not play in Thursday's contest for personal reasons.