The Brooklyn Nets are among the 22 teams that were invited to play in the NBA’s scheduled return on July 31st (August 1st Manila time). They will be fighting to keep their playoff spot.

While they hold a 30-34 record and comfortable 5.5 game lead against the 24-40 Washington Wizards, the team they have to fend off in the eight upcoming regular season games, there will be an added challenge: two of their superstars – Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant – will be unavailable.

The All-Star duo confirmed it on separate reports this week:

Durant’s confirmation came during an interview with Marc J. Spears, and was released on The Undefeated. Here’s how he expanded on the matter:

“My season is over. I don’t plan on playing at all. We decided last summer when it first happened that I was just going to wait until the following season. I had no plans of playing at all this season.”

“It’s just best for me to wait. I don’t think I’m ready to play that type of intensity right now in the next month. It gives me more time to get ready for next season and the rest of my career.”

Injuries have hampered Durant since last year’s playoffs, when he was still with the Golden State Warriors. It began with a leg injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets, and got carried on to the West Finals. He wasn’t able to play again until Game 5 of the NBA Finals opposite the Toronto Raptors, and was only inserted because the Dubs were trailing 3-1 in the series. Unfortunately, though, he tore his achilles just 12 minutes into the game.

Even before the 2019-20 campaign started, it was expected that Durant will sit out the entire season. Speculations of a playoff return only grew when the season got delayed and his workout videos were circulated on social media, which was still part of his long rehab.

Irving, meanwhile, struggled to boost the Nets and stay healthy. Though he averaged 27.4 points and 6.4 assists per game on the season, which includes a record-setting debut, he missed 44 games and Brooklyn only went 8-12 in his 20 appearances. On March 4th, it was reported that he will be sidelined for the rest of the season after having surgery on his shoulder.

The tough ride even cost ex-Nets coach Kenny Atkinson his job, who seemingly got pushed out as he suddenly resigned on March 8th, not even a year removed from the stellar 2018-19 season that saw him stir the immensely unheralded Nets into a playoff berth.

As the Nets now try to keep their seat in the playoff picture, they will be relying on the young core of Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, and Taurean Prince, as well as veteran big man DeAndre Jordan, who got brought in by Irving and Durant.