NBA News Roundup, Saturday, June 8th: Kevin Durant may have played his last game for the Warriors, Paul Pierce questions LeBron James and more
With the NBA Finals now upon us, the playoffs are the talk of the basketball world - although there is no shortage of other stories emerging across the league.
The 2019 draft is just weeks away and teams will be hoping to strike gold by drafting either Zion Williamson or Ja Morant. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis continues to be linked with a blockbuster trade, while a host of stars including Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Kemba Walker are about to hit free agency.
With plenty happening around the NBA, here's a look at the biggest news stories and rumours you need to know for June 8th.
Kevin Durant urged to sit out the remainder of the playoffs
Kevin Durant was once again sidelined last night as the Golden State Warriors hosted the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The 2014 MVP has now missed nine straight games, and Dr. Alan Beyer, (medical director at Hoag Orthopaedic Institute in Southern California) has urged Durant to put his health before rushing back this season:
All [Durant] can do is go through the steps and be patient, which has to be so tough for him right now. But this isn't an injury you can rush. One, there's the chance of re-injury, you know, if he comes back on a still partially torn calf and then fully tears it. That would be a major injury. He's a free agent this year. He would really regret that.
At the end of the day, this injury is a matter of performance. Durant is a guy that needs absolutely optimal performance of his gastroc muscle (calf) to jump. It's not a play-through-it type deal. He can't do the things he needs to do to play. Again, it's entirely feasible that function just won't return in time to play in this series.
Durant is expected to leave the Warriors this summer, and he has attracted interest from the likes of the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks.