Durant to undergo 3rd procedure on right foot, out 4-6 months
While it barely began at all, Kevin Durant's season is officially over.
Durant will undergo a bone graft procedure on his surgically repaired right foot next week and will be shut down for the remainder of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti announced in a statement Friday.
Durant missed the first month of the season after undergoing preseason surgery to address a Jones fracture in the foot. He returned to play 27 games - with an ankle injury sandwiched between - before being sidelined by continued soreness.
He then underwent a procedure on Feb. 22 to replace a screw in the foot, which was believed to have been causing the discomfort, and was ruled out for at least one week.
When the soreness persisted following his return to Thunder practice, Presti announced last Friday that Durant was being removed from all basketball activities and was to be considered out indefinitely.
Durant averaged 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 51 percent shooting in his eighth season.
While the focus is on Durant's long-term health, what's left of the Russell Westbrook-led Thunder - still without Serge Ibaka (knee), Nick Collison (knee) and Andre Roberson (ankle) - sit eighth place in the unforgiving Western Conference, three games ahead of ninth-place Phoenix.
HEADLINES
- Bengals endure another 'sickening' loss in season of frustrations
- Lamar, Burrow combine for 8 TDs as Ravens hold off Bengals in thriller
- Ravens' Hamilton sprains ankle in win over Bengals
- Brunette more concerned by Preds' play than record: Standard not 'upheld'
- Kings' Jeannot ejected for high hit, Canucks' Boeser exits game