Getty Kevin Durant, Boston Celtics
While rumors linking the Boston Celtics with a trade with the Brooklyn Nets continue to persist, there has been little movement to support the notion that a deal is imminent.
However, with each passing day, the likelihood of the Celtics opting to trade away multiple members of their roster reduces – as Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka are likely to value consistency once training camp begins.
According to an August 11 episode of Celtics on NBC Sports Boston, Tom Giles postulated that Boston could be losing interest in trading for Durant, especially at the cost of Jaylen Brown.
“They have to be cognitive of what it could become (having Durant on the roster)…If you’re the Celtics, you’ve got a good thing going right now, you’ve got a good group of guys that were responsive to the coaching staff last year – I’d be very hesitant to disrupt that, even for a player as good as Kevin Durant,” Giles said.
“Maybe the Celtics are thinking ‘I don’t know if you’re even worth Jaylen Brown'”
@trenni @TomGilesNBCS @aminajadeTV discuss if the Celtics have lost interest in Kevin Durant
It’s worth remembering that the Celtics aren’t the only team to reportedly hold an interest in acquiring Durant, and that should the Nets refuse to lower their asking price, Boston could decide to continue on their current path because it’s been yielding promising results.
Durant Wants to Team Up With Marcus Smart
Interestingly, Durant is reported to hold an interest in playing alongside reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, should he ultimately end up in Boston in the coming weeks.
However, according to a July 25 report by Shams Charania of The Atheltic, Brooklyn would like to include Smart in a trade package, having re-negotiated Boston’s original offer of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and draft assets.
“Durant sees Boston as a desired landing spot, per people familiar with the matter. Durant also would like to play with Boston’s Marcus Smart if he is traded to the Celtics, per people familiar with the matter,” SNY’s Ian Begley reported on August 10.
If Durant genuinely sees Smart as a core part of his reasoning to come to Boston, it will be interesting to see how Stevens navigates trade discussions moving forward – if any further discussions take place, of course.
Jaylen Brown Remains ‘All-In’ With Boston
Even though Brown’s name has been floated around in conjunction with a Durant trade, it appears that the Georgia native is willing to remain in Boston long-term – assuming he doesn’t get traded before that point.
According to an NBA Executive, who spoke with Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett under the condition of anonymity, there is a high chance that Brown would be willing to re-sign with the Celtics once his current contract expires in 2024.
Three conference finals and an NBA Finals appearance in five years together for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics future and present is bright.
“I think Jaylen IS (committed) long term. If they want him long-term and they’re going to pay him the contract he deserves, I think he’s all-in on Boston. From everything I’ve been told, Jaylen’s a loyal guy. I know frustration can happen when things aren’t going well, and I think we saw some of that earlier in this past season.
But when you take a step back and look at things, I think he wants to be there. And any problems that could ever happen with that relationship would probably have to come from him getting the idea that they’re not in on him. And right now I don’t see that from the Celtics. I think they know what they have in Jaylen — now and for the future — and they want to keep that going,” The executive told Bulpett.
One would hope that should the Celtics decide to continue on their current trajectory, Brown and Jayson Tatum would both repay their faith by re-signing once their current contracts expire, and if Boston continues to have a consistent level of success there’s every reason to believe that’s a plausible possibility.