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Tuesday, Feb. 28 update: Durant is officially set to return to the court Wednesday against the Hornets. This will not only be his debut with the Suns but it’ll be his first action since suffering a sprained MCL January 8. We’ll know if Durant is on a minutes limit heading into tomorrow’s game but this is a big boost for the Suns.
. ⌛️#WeAreTheValley pic.twitter.com/JMRID1LDf3
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 28, 2023
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, who the team acquired at the 2023 NBA trade deadline, is targeting a return to the court and his debut with Phoenix on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, according to Shams Charania. Durant has been sidelined since January 8 with a sprained MCL.
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are targeting his Suns debut and return to action in next Wednesday's road game against the Charlotte Hornets, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Durant is on cusp of return from MCL sprain that he suffered on Jan. 8.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 22, 2023
There was a report earlier Wednesday Durant was attempting to come back Sunday, when the Suns had an afternoon tip against the Milwaukee Bucks in a rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals. However, that was likely considered to be too tough of a landing spot for the forward. Charlotte offers significantly less resistance, both from a spotlight and basketball standpoint.
If Durant returns and is at 100%, he will immediately become the top scoring option this team. He’s the No. 1 fantasy and DFS player for the Suns, with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton seeing a reduction in opportunities. Ayton is the one who will likely sacrifice the most from a production standpoint.