Getty Brad Stevens, general manager of the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics have had a successful offseason thus far, adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to give them one of the deepest rosters in the NBA.
However, there are always other moves to be made, and with superstars such as the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant reportedly unhappy in their current situations, the league’s landscape could shift even more before the new season gets underway.
Of course, whenever a superstar becomes disgruntled, the Celtics will find themselves floated in trade rumors. One trade proposal from July 19 comes from a segment on that day’s episode of ESPN’s “Jalen & Jacoby” where co-hosts play general manager.
David Jacoby’s trade proposal:
Brooklyn Nets get: Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Derrick White and three first-round draft picks
Celtics Get: Kevin Durant
🚨A CELTICS OFFER FOR KD???🚨
@DJacoby has been hired by his hometown Celtics to bring Durant to Boston – and he’s got a deal for @JalenRose.
Will 📱GM Jalen📱 accept a deal for a young star PLUS picks – How bout them apples!
After Jacoby pitched the trade, Jalen Rose responded by using inflation to make the argument that the Celtics are unlikely to acquire Durant this off-season.
“Let’s talk about inflation,” Rose said during the episode. “Just a few years ago, Oklahoma City got FOUR first-round picks for Paul George. Right now the Utah Jazz, who just got a few picks for Rudy Gobert, is asking for that for Donovan Mitchell. If (the Celtics) want Kevin Durant, you’re not going to see a first-round pick for a decade.”
Celtics Haven’t Had Substantive Talks With Brooklyn
While the notion of a Durant and Jayson Tatum pairing is enough to get most fans salivating, the reality is that Boston is committed to their star duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, so any move for Durant seems highly unlikely.
According to a July 15 report by ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Celtics have not entered into firm trade discussions with the Nets.
“Jaylen Brown makes sense in theory as the centerpiece of a Durant megadeal, and the Celtics have to be wary of Brown’s unrestricted free agency in two years. But there have been no substantive talks about such a deal, sources say,” Lowe wrote.
Brown was arguably Boston’s best player during the Celtics’ NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 35.8% from deep.
Celtics Considered to Have Best Trade Package
When a team boasts a player of Brown’s age, caliber and skill set, it will be the team to beat in trade discussions — assuming it is willing to put the player on the table during negotiations.
That’s why Celtics color commentator Brian Scalabrine went on record to state he believed his former team has the best possible trade package for Durant.
“Jaylen Brown, three picks, two rights to swap, and Daniel Theis — the money works. … It’s not crazy to think that something like that could happen if — if and only if — Kevin Durant decides, ‘All right, I want to be out of here,” Scalabrine said during a June 26 appearance on Sirius XM’s NBA Radio.
With Kevin Durant “monitoring” the Kyrie situation in Brooklyn, could he be on the move this summer?
@Scalabrine makes the case for the #Celtics being KD’s next team.
Given Boston’s commitment to building around Tatum and Brown in recent years, it does seem highly unlikely the Celtics would be willing to split their star duo up — even for a player of Kevin Durant’s stature.