Kleiman: Durant returning in 2019-20 after hiatus 'not very realistic'

With some NBA brass reportedly targeting mid-to-late June to resume the season, it's now possible several players initially expected to miss the entire campaign could complete their rehabilitations and play in 2019-20.

However, those close to Kevin Durant believe the Brooklyn Nets forward still won't suit up this season.

"Honestly, not very realistic from my standpoint, and not even spoken about," Durant's business partner Rich Kleiman said on ESPN's "Golic & Wingo" on Monday.

Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon while playing for the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2019. If the 2019-20 season resumes in June, the 31-year-old would have been recovering for a full year.

"I think that Kevin is going to figure out the space that he needs to be in to continue to rehab during this time," Kleiman added. "But even that is hard to answer at this point, with the new kind of rules that were put in place last night."

The league reportedly delivered a memo to its teams on Sunday detailing new policies. Team practices have been banned indefinitely, though players are still allowed to practice individually at club facilities.

Durant's Nets entered the hiatus with a 30-34 record, good for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn is likely playoff bound while sitting six wins up on the ninth-seeded Washington Wizards with 18 games remaining, with or without the late addition of the team's prized 2019 offseason acquisition.