Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
If you’re a Boston Celtics fan, it’s highly likely that you’ve been unable to escape the endless stream of trade rumors linking the team with a trade for Kevin Durant.
That would also mean you’ve seen the reports that Jaylen Brown was offered as the centerpiece of a trade package for the superstar forward. So, if you’ve been unable to avoid those rumors and reports, there is no chance members of the Celtics roster have avoided them – especially not Jayson Tatum.
However, according to Tatum in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, any discussions regarding trade or roster movement are outside of his remit as a player, meaning that he doesn’t get involved in those discussions.
NEW @TheAthleticNBA: One-on-one with Jayson Tatum, on everything from the Finals run to the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
“(I learned) that I’m 24 and one of the best players in the world and that I will compete against whoever and take on that challenge.”
“The cool part about his job is Brad don’t tell me how to do my job anymore. You not the coach. He lets me do my thing. I let him do his thing. In all honesty, that’s his decision and that’s his job,” Tatum told Weiss.
This isn’t the first time Tatum has distanced himself from being privy to trade discussions, as while at the Premier of NYC Point Gods, he told the media that he ‘doesn’t put that hat on,’ when asked about his thoughts regarding the current trade discussions.
Durant Trade is Looking Unlikely
Despite the non-stop rumors linking the Celtics with a trade for Durant, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that we will see a deal come to fruition before the start of the season, or at least training camp.
According to an August 4 report by SNY’s Ian Begley, the potential for a Durant trade – to Boston or anywhere else, is ‘surrounded in pessimism.’
▪️ There is “a lot of pessimism” on a Kevin Durant deal getting done in the near future
▪️ Kyrie Irving is “in a good place and comfortable” with the Nets right now
@IanBegley with the latest notes in Brooklyn: t.co/O7vOXAyoIq
“Couple of people familiar with the Brooklyn Nets dynamic and their search of the potential of trades for Kevin Durant said there was some pessimism about a deal getting done in the near future. Part of that pessimism was about the idea that finding a third or fourth team that would help facilitate a trade that the Nets would deem suitable was difficult, there was not a lot of interest around the league in the last month…Very fluid situation, but as we approach less than two months to camp, it’s worth note there’s pessimism about something getting done in the near future,” Begley said.
However, regardless of if the Celtics eventually trade for Durant or not, the damage of Brown’s name being floated in the media has already been done, and that could take a while for Brad Stevens to smooth over.
Kendrick Perkins Urges Celtics to Trade Brown
With the notion that Brown could be insulted by being included in Boston’s trade discussions still fresh in most fans’ minds, there is a concern about what the Georgia native will do once his current contract expires in two years.
Of course, assuming Boston stands pat on any further discussions with the Nets, you would assume they’re hoping to convince Brown to remain with the Celtics for the long-term – but after including him in multiple trade discussions over the years, the damage may have already been done. Keeping those concerns in mind, Kendrick Perkins recently explained why he believes now is the time Boston should look to cash in on Brown before his contract situation begins to weaken their bargaining position.
“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 said during a July 29 episode of Swagu and Perk.