After the Phoenix Suns shocked the NBA by trading for superstar Kevin Durant last month, fans in Arizona eagerly awaited his first home game as a member of the Suns, which was supposed to be on Wednesday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, he slipped and fell during warm-ups, which resulted in a sprained ankle that forced him to sit out of that contest.
Phoenix won easily without him over a Thunder team that was without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but now will be in some trouble, as Shams Charania has reported that Durant will miss at least two weeks.
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks with his left ankle sprain and return based on rehab progress, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Swelling has gone down in the ankle, which Durant injured slipping in pregame warmups Wednesday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2023
Note that Charania said Durant will merely be re-evaluated in two weeks, which means he could very well miss three or four weeks in total.
The future Hall of Famer had already missed about six weeks with a sprained knee ligament, and he only made his debut with the Suns on March 1, which was nearly three weeks after he was traded.
Durant’s ankle injury is a significant blow to the Suns’ title hopes, as they already needed some time to assimilate him into their team and allow their other key players to build chemistry with him, which isn’t exactly easy to do at midseason.
To make matters worse, they have some difficult games coming up against contenders such as the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets.
With only four weeks left in the regular season, Phoenix will have their work cut out for them to establish themselves as a legitimate championship contender.
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