Kevin Durant Called 'True Warrior', Opting In The Last Resort, Wojnarowski Says

Kevin Durant has undergone successful surgery to repair the ruptured Achilles tendon he sustained during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It was the worst possible outcome which will likely keep him out for the entirety of next season and has probably altered the landscape of the upcoming free agency.

Golden State Warriors kept themselves alive in the series against Toronto Raptors with a narrow 106-105 win but there was not an ounce of celebration in the face of Durant’s injury. The entire team – the players and management – were rallying around the small forward and wishing him well.

Durant’s mother, Wanda Durant, who was watching the game on television admitted that she was excited to see her son make his return after a month but admits it was hurtful to watch when he went down with the injury after 12 minutes on the court. She revealed that her complete focus was on Durant and to see his initial reaction and said it was hurtful to see the “anguish in his eyes”.

“I was just glued on him and glued on his eyes to see how he was doing,” Wanda told Good Morning America, as quoted on Yahoo Sports. “It’s still kind of hurtful to see the anguish in his eyes. He looked as though he felt somewhat dejected at that time.”

Wanda also defended her son after reports emerged that the Warriors dressing room was questioning his desire to play for the team while there were other players playing through injury. The likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have defended those claims and Durant insisted that people who question her son’s integrity “don’t know him”.

“For ALL of you who question my son as a Man, question his Heart, question his Integrity and question his LOVE for the game of basketball, you DON’T know him. He has a heart of a true Warrior! This too shall pass. God Bless you ALL,” Wanda wrote on her official Twitter account.

Durant’s devastating injury had implications on the entire league, not only on the ongoing NBA Finals between the Warriors and Raptors. He was expected to be the most sought after free agent in the summer but the injury has now raised questions about teams potentially giving him a long-term contract with the prospect of the player missing one entire season.

There were talks about Durant potentially taking up the $31.5 million option in his contract with the Warriors for next season before entering free agency in 2020. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says opting in is the player’s last resort as he is certain to have multiple offers despite the injury.