Inside The Suns

Kevin Durant Out vs Germany; Will Play in Olympics

The Phoenix Suns' star won't feature in any exhibition games.
Donnie Druin|
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Kevin Durant (7) arrives for a game against Canada for the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Kevin Durant (7) arrives for a game against Canada for the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports | Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

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Phoenix Suns

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant will not play in Team USA's final exhibition match against Germany, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon.

"Kevin Durant will not play against Germany tonight due to his strained calf. He will have missed the entire preseason for Team USA, but the plan is for him to continue onto Paris and play at the Olympics, a source said. He is considered day to day," Vardon put on Twitter/X.

Durant has been dealing with the calf strain since prior to the start of Team USA training camp. He was initially supposed to only miss one week of action but will now be absent for all five of the tune-up games for Steve Kerr's squad ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Group play begins July 28 for the Americans, who were nearly upset against South Sudan last time out and frankly have struggled at times.

Durant participated in his first official practice with Team USA just a few days ago and went through warm-ups with the team before the win against South Sudan.

“I’ve seen progress every day,” Durant told reporters (h/t NBA.com). “It’s one of those things. Just got to monitor it every day. I’ll see how I feel after I do certain exercises. My thing is to keep running and see what happens.”

USA star LeBron James is looking forward to having his counterpart on the court with him once again.

“More firepower, more leadership, more experience in the FIBA game,” James added.

“We welcome his return. We’re looking forward to him being back out there. … Anytime we can add a piece like that it’s great for our ballclub.”

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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!

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