Marks: Nets expect KD to be out for year, but 'Kevin controls his rehab'

Despite murmurs that Kevin Durant could make his Brooklyn Nets debut during the 2019-20 season, his new team is prepared to take it slow with the 30-year-old's recovery from his ruptured right Achilles tendon.

"The expectation now for him is to be out for the year," Nets general manager Sean Marks said Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

And if there was any doubt which party is setting the pace for Durant's return, Marks made it crystal clear.

"Kevin controls the rehab," he added, according to Vorkunov. "This is a long-term plan. This was never about this next season."

Still, the Nets remain on track to make the playoffs this season. Under coach Kenny Atkinson, last year's team won 42 games, posting a winning record for the first time since 2014-15. The team's homegrown quartet of Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen returns.

And even with 2019 All-Star D'Angelo Russell being sent to the Golden State Warriors in the Durant sign-and-trade, the Nets added six-time All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and three-time All-NBA center DeAndre Jordan this summer. Even without Durant's contributions, Brooklyn has the talent to continue its upward ascent toward title contention.