Kevin Durant will know his fate today, as the Golden State Warriors spokesperson will make an announcement on his hyper-extended left knee MRI results. In what appears to be a serious injury that may keep Durant out of action for months, his team bosses have considered Matt Barnes as a suitable replacement. They plan to open a roster for him later this week and will probably consider a rest-of-the-season deal for Jose Calderon to fulfill their commitment to sign him after he cleared waivers. Durant’s fans are keeping their fingers crossed, but an Instagram post by Barnes calling it the happiest day of his life suggests the replacement deal is on.
Kevin Durant limps off early in the first quarter
After just 93 seconds into the first quarter, Kevin Durant was seen limping off in the direction of the locker room after he sustained what seemed to be a serious injury to his left knee. This injury took place almost as soon as the game started when Washington Center Martin Gothard hustled his teammate Zaza Pachulia. Pachulia lost his balance and fell on Durant’s left leg. There was very little Durant could do after that ending his excellent stats of scoring a minimum of 10 points in every one of the 562 games he played in regular season. Both Barnes and Calderon are likely to sign better contracts than what they had bargained for.
Barnes to finish what he started
Ready to sign a more lucrative rest-of-the-season deal instead of the 10-day contract that was on the cards, Barnes will be ready to finish what he started between 2006 and 2008 during his first stint with the Warriors. This will be a huge break for him and will give him a chance to prove he's got what it takes to replace Durant who entered Tuesday’s game averaging 25.8 points, with 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
On the other hand, Calderon is likely to enjoy a rest-of-the-season deal that matches at least what he would have earned with the Golden State before he got waived. The Los Angeles Lakers had just recently waived him off, and he’s likely to enjoy his stint with the Warriors on their post-season roster.
