The rumors linking Kevin Durant with the Boston Celtics won’t seem to go away and were only made worse when Adrian Wojnarowski reported discussions had taken place.
When you look around the league, you’ll be hard pressed to find a team that doesn’t project to improve with Durant on their roster, but not every team has the necessary trade pieces to make a deal work. And right now, the lack of teams willing to part with their young stars and draft picks is making life hard for the Brooklyn Nets, especially as we continue to edge closer to training camp.
However, another aspect that seems to be getting overlooked, is that Jaylen Brown is arguably the biggest asset Brooklyn could realistically get back in return for Durant. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report recently said as much in his August 3 article, as he listed the Celtics star as the Nets’ best chance of landing a genuine star-level talent in return for their disgruntled forward.
My strong bet is Kevin Durant for Jaylen Brown + “stuff” gets done.
Contextually it lines up really well for both teams.
“Regardless of who goes with him, Brown appears likely to be the biggest prize in Brooklyn’s sights. The 25-year-old is coming off a playoff run to the Finals in which he averaged 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 threes. He’s made an All-Star team and he just finished 2021-22 tied for 15th in defensive win shares (a number typically dominated by big men),” Bailey wrote.
Brown was unquestionably the Celtics’ best player throughout their NBA Finals series, as he averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 43.1% from the field and 34% from the perimeter during the Celtics’ six games against the Golden State Warriors.
Kendrick Perkins Urges Boston to Trade Brown
It can’t be nice for NBA players to hear their names in trade rumors, especially if they continue to be linked with deals whenever a superstar talent becomes available. Yet, that’s exactly what Brown has had to endure throughout his time on the Celtics, and according to former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins, these fresh round of trade rumors might be the final straw for the Georgia native.
“They’re gonna trade Jaylen Brown, because I feel like, as of right now, the trust has been broken. And we have to remember this, Danny Ainge drafted Brown, not Brad Stevens…My thing is, I don’t know how the Celtics are going to bounce back from this, I don’t know if they can bounce back from this – I don’t think they can,” Perkins explained during a July 29 episode of Swagu and Perk.
Still, even if Brown does feel disrespected by the Celtics front office, it’s worth remembering that he has two years remaining on his current deal, and assuming the Celtics continue to be a successful franchise within that period, he will likely remain in Boston long term.
MacMullen Believes Brown Should Feel Complimented
Since the rumors about Brown surfaced, the primary concern has been surrounding Brown’s outlook on the situation – as outlined by Perkins. However, long-time NBA Insider Jackie MacMullen believes that train of thinking is a non-issue when it comes to the Celtics star.
“Stop it. Absolutely stop it.”
Jackie MacMullan is not here for the ‘The Celtics have upset Jaylen Brown’ talk 🗣️
“This bit about, ‘Oh no! Maybe we’ve upset Jaylen Brown!’ Stop it. Absolutely stop it. He is an intelligent young man who should feel complimented that so many people are interested in him, and he also needs to understand that Jayson Tatum is the one and only untouchable. Jaylen Brown will be fine going forward if they never pull the trigger on this deal. That’s just the silliest bunch of stuff I’ve heard,” MacMullen told NBC Sports Boston on August 4.
Unfortunately, we won’t know how Brown is truly feeling until it comes time to negotiate a new contract later down the line, until then, all we can do is hope that he and Tatum continue to challenge for championships, and both decide to remain in Boston for the long-haul.
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Celtics Jaylen Brown Seen as Brooklyn’s ‘Biggest Prize’ in Blockbuster Trade