Getty Kevin Durant, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics continue to be linked with a trade for Kevin Durant, and while the fanbase is split on whether the team should continue to pursue a trade, there’s no denying his talent.
However, the question isn’t whether Durant is talented or not, it’s whether or not to trade multiple players, including Jaylen Brown, to get the deal over the line. As things stand both the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets are at a standstill with their negotiations, but it’s fair to assume there will be some more talks between these two franchises in the coming weeks.
One of the greatest basketball players of all time getting shots up with Kevin Durant
So, would acquiring Durant make the Celtics championship favorites? Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey seems to think so, as, on August 15, he noted how Durant’s presence on the Celtics roster would be the cementing factor in their status as championship favorites.
“Earlier this summer, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Boston had offered a package that included Jaylen Brown for KD. Those talks haven’t led to a trade yet, but Charania dropped another nugget in his report on Durant issuing an ultimatum to Brooklyn’s front office this week…Whether such a trade makes long-term sense for the Celtics is a topic for another day, but adding him to Tatum now would only solidify Boston’s position as a title front-runner,” Bailey wrote.
Durant is entering the first year of a new $196 million contract, that will see him earn $53 million at age 37, and while that may be four years away, Boston will need to weigh up if they’re willing to pay him that sort of money when he is past his prime.
Durant Could Retire
In a recent twist to the Durant trade saga, Marc Stein recently reported that should Durant not get his wish, and is forced to remain with the Nets, he could consider retiring rather than donning a Brooklyn uniform.
“During summer league in Las Vegas, one of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets. This was in early July…Now? More than a month later? Attaching the R-word to Durant still comes across as serious hyperbole, but it is certainly getting easier to envision him refusing to report to training camp when the Nets get back together in six weeks for Media Day (Sept. 26) and their first practices of the new season (Sept. 27),” Stein wrote in the latest edition of his SteinLine Newsletter.
My Monday Musings offer the latest from the Durant Trade Watch … and the Nets’ ill-fated attempt to wrest control of the franchise they haven’t had for three seasons:
However, it is worth noting that Durant has since come out and refuted that report, stating that he has no intentions to retire anytime soon.
“I know most people will believe unnamed sources over me but if it’s anyone out there that’ll listen, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon. S*** is comical at this point,” Durant Tweeted on August 15, in response to Stein’s report.
Celtics Take Robert Williams Off The Table
Whenever you enter into negotiations, you always have somewhere you draw the line. Be it an asset you refuse to part with, or a set budget you refuse to break – it happens in every industry, as well as in daily life.
Well, according to an August 11 report by NBC Sports Kurt Helin, the Celtics have made it clear that Robert Williams will not be part of any trade package for Durant.
“There’s good reason for pessimism, Durant’s ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai did not light a fire under trade talks. If anything, it made it far less likely a deal gets done in the short term. — why would Boston improve its offer now? It robbed the Nets of leverage. For example, Brooklyn was trying to get Boston to put Smart in the trade, but why would they even consider it now? That said, even without Smart (or Robert Williams III, sources told NBC Sports he is not available), a Celtics offer with Jaylen Brown may be the best one the Nets will see,” Helin wrote on August 10.
However, even without Williams as part of the trade package, Boston is still capable of putting forward a significant deal, which will inevitably be centered around Jaylen Brown. Yet, as this saga drags on, and we continue to move closer to training camp, there’s also a chance that Brad Stevens removes himself from the negotiating table – unfortunately, only time will tell how this all ends up playing out.