Getty Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
With so much drama swirling around the Brooklyn Nets, trade rumors are flying all over the place and there’s no telling what fact versus fiction.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Irving and the Nets have reached an impasse, and that has thrown a big wrench into the team’s offseason plans. Instead of building for next season, the team has to figure out if one of their big stars is sticking around.
While a lot of the attention has been on Irving, there are also concerns about what the future holds for Kevin Durant. He hasn’t formally asked for a trade, but there are rumblings he could want out if Irving leaves.
Enter: Jaylen Brown.
Brown was mentioned in trade talks before, but that was before the Celtics went on their Finals run that ended earlier this month. However, NBC Sports Boston analyst and former Celtics fan-favorite Brian Scalabrine reports Brown could be shipped out of town in exchange for Durant.
Could Kevin Durant join the Celtics? @Scalabrine believes it’s possible 👀
“If there’s traction and Kevin Durant goes to management, there is no better team out there than the Boston Celtics if you’re the Brooklyn Nets to make this move, he said. “Would the Celtics [make Brown available in a trade for Durant]? Yeah. It’s Durantula! KD! The Slim Reaper!”
On the surface, that just seems like an analyst having a bit of fun with the prospect of Durant in a Celtics jersey, but things might run deeper than that.
Trouble Brewing?
Jaylen Brown’s likes 👀
On June 27, it was discovered Brown liked a tweet about being disrespected by Celtics fans, so he might not feel all that great about being in Boston.
He and Jayson Tatum clicked in a way last season that led them all the way to the NBA Finals, but even that might not be enough to keep him around.
Heavy.com’s own Steve Bulpett reported the Celtics were exploring trades, but nothing was guaranteed to happen until free agency.
“They’re not in any position to be closing doors,” one league executive told Bulpett, as reported back in February. “But, barring an unrefusable offer, it’s far more likely the potential for fireworks would come closer to July 4.”
A lot of this hinges on whether or not Durant ultimately wants out of Brooklyn. He is under contract for four more seasons, so he doesn’t have a ton of options to consider here. If his future hinges on what’s going on with Kyrie Irving, then things just got a lot murkier there.
Latest on Kyrie
We asked Kyrie if he still wanted to be a Brooklyn Net 👀
When asked by Complex Sports if Irving wanted to be a Brooklyn Net next season, he started laughing and immediately deflected the question.
While nothing is confirmed as of yet, things do be trending towards a divorce, and there’s a real chance he could find himself wearing a Lakers jersey next year.
There’s really no telling what this Nets team will look like next year. There’s even a chance that both Durant and Irving will be gone, making this one of the biggest “what ifs” in recent memory.
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