Getty Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the preseason game between the Nets and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 18, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Boston Celtics have emerged in the Kevin Durant trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets, and while a deal isn’t close at the moment, there is already a stance being taken.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Celtics have offered Jaylen Brown in a trade, but the Nets have already turned them down.
“There are no deals believed to have traction for Durant, and no team has yet to reach the significant threshold that the Nets have set to trade one of the league’s most talented players, sources said,” Wojnarowski reports.
Brown is certainly a player with star power that would appeal to the Nets, but Brooklyn appears to be looking for much more. If they are looking for the other Jay to come over in a trade, it doesn’t sound like the Celtics are willing to entertain that.
Jayson Tatum Not Moving
While Durant is a superstar that is nearing the end of his career, Tatum is one that is entering his prime and figures to be there for the next decade.
It would make sense Brooklyn would want him in a Durant swap, but Wojnarowski shoots that down.
“The Celtics consider All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum off limits in any trade talks, but Boston is able to construct a package for Durant that could include Brown and as many as three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) — and two pick swaps (2024 and 2026). Brown, 25, has two years and $56 million left on his current contract,” he reports.
Thanks to the Rudy Gobert trade, the Nets have a high asking price, but at this point it’s tough to say if a team will ever be able to meet it. The Celtics are fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, so giving up a lot of pieces for a few years of Durant might not be in their best interest.
Brown has expressed displeasure with Boston fans in the past, so him being offered over Tatum makes a lot of sense here, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be moving the needle for the Nets.
There’s still plenty of time for a trade to come together, but things are far apart as things stand now.
Will the Nets Make a Trade?
Writing up my KD thoughts for @celticsblog and I’m struck by remembering that Boston traded for KG on July 31 and Kyrie Irving in mid-August.
The Celtics care not for your late-summer vacation plans.
While a lot of the action of the NBA offseason tends to happen in the opening days, there are still big trades that can be made later on.
As NBA reporter Keith Smith points out, Boston made blockbuster trades late in the summer twice in the recent past, including a trade for Kyrie Irving in August.
There’s a lot that can still happen between now and the start of the year for the Nets, but they’ll want to get things figured out before that. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the roster, and for a team trying to compete for a championship, that’s not a good thing.
Ben Simmons will be back next season, but there’s no telling what his supporting cast will look like and if it’ll even include Irving and Durant.
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