The Boston Celtics might be seen as an outsider in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that they actually throw their hat into the ring.
According to a July 15 report by ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets have had ‘no substantive talks’ when it comes to a potential trade for Durant.
“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 in his article.
Of course, when you consider all the potential trade packages that teams can provide the Nets, an offer that includes Jaylen Brown would quickly become one of the more desirable options, but it would seem the Celtics are reluctant to split up their core wing duo after coming so close to lifting an NBA championship last season.
Jaylen Brown ended last season as arguably Boston’s best player against the Golden State Warriors, and their clear-cut second option throughout the regular season, where he averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 35.8% from deep.
Brown Could be Tempted to Look Elsewhere
Since Brown entered the NBA, he’s been a part of the Celtics organization and has tasted varying levels of success while playing alongside Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum. Yet, according to WEEI’s Jermaine Wiggins, Brown is currently unhappy with his situation in Boston and would like the opportunity to lead his own team.
ICYMI @jwiggs85 was outside over the weekend and happened to bump into #Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
Their conversation was VERY interesting.
📻: 93.7 FM @weei
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Wiggy details ⬇️
“Let’s just say, we were in the same spot…I’m no snitch. All I’m saying is Jaylen Brown wants his own identity, and he ain’t getting that here. If he goes to Brooklyn, he becomes the guy. That team is now built around him. Kyrie’s not going to be there. It looks like Kyrie’s going to head to the Lakers…You have Brown. You have Marcus Smart in Brooklyn. They re-sign (Nic) Claxton. They brought back Patty Mills.
Now, Brooklyn has a team that they can build around — a young star in Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown gets out of the shadow of Jayson Tatum, and he can now run his own team. Perfect for everybody. You get KD, who can share the spotlight. We’ve seen him do it before,” Wiggins said during a July 7 recording for WEEI.
Of course, Brown is unlikely to want out any time soon, as the Celtics have improved their roster since the season ended, and are looking to return to the NBA finals at the first time of asking.
Brown Hints at Feeling Disrespected in Boston
Whenever a superstar-level talent hits the trade market, Brown is usually thrown into mock trades by fans and media, as they look for a way to increase the Celtics’ chances of finally lifting banner 18.
However, that cannot be an easy pill for Brown to swallow, and on June 26, the Georgia native liked a tweet that claimed the star wing is disrespected by the Celtics fanbase.
I don’t like seeing this I pray Jaylen Brown stays with us 🙏🏾
While the fans’ opinion of a player can certainly hold weight, the fact of the matter is, that Brown has never publicly been shopped by Boston’s front office, and one would hope that the 25-year-old wing is happy in his current situation and wants to continue to work towards a sustained period of contention in Boston.
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Celtics Yet to Make Firm Inquiry on Kevin Durant Trade: Report