Kevin Durant's sore right foot will keep him out at least another week.
The Thunder announced Sunday that Durant underwent a procedure to help alleviate pain and discomfort. General manager Sam Presti said Durant's foot fracture has been healing "perfectly." Presti went on to say in a press release issued by the team that Durant should be able to return during the regular season. He will be evaluated in about a week.
The Thunder are home against Denver tonight and will play Indiana, Phoenix, Portland and the Lakers in the next week.
"As we have conveyed, Kevin has experienced increased soreness in his right foot recently and as a result we initiated a process to determine the best way to manage it moving forward," Presti said. "In order to alleviate that discomfort, it was determined after consultation with Dr. Robert Anderson, and after receiving a second opinion from Dr. Martin O’Malley, that because the fracture itself has continued to heal as anticipated, there was an opportunity to address irritation from the screw, and make an adjustment to a different piece of hardware within the foot to relieve the symptoms of his soreness."
Durant was not available for comment.
This procedure is likely to remove a screw that was causing irritation on the bone. Coach Scott Brooks said the soreness is not related to the original injury.
"He's in good spirits," Brooks said. "The pain he has had is part of the rehab process. He's had some discomfort the last few games. We'll know more in about a week."
Durant has played just 27 games this season, missing time with a fractured foot, an injured ankle and an injured toe. He missed the first 17 games of the season.
Expect Kyle Singler, who the Thunder acquired Thursday from Detroit in a trade that sent Reggie Jackson to the Pistons, to start.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
