Getty Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Over the summer, rumors swirled around the Boston Celtics when Kevin Durant demanded a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
One of the more persistent rumors was that the Celtics were willing to offer a package that included Jaylen Brown for the Nets superstar. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported in July that the Celtics’ offer included Brown, Derrick White and a first-round pick — a package the Nets rejected, asking instead for Brown, Marcus Smart, another rotation player and another pick.
The two sides never came to an agreement, and according to an NBA GM who spoke to Heavy Sports insider Sean Deveney, that isn’t likely to change any time soon.
“As I understand it, they explored that but they did not get close to making anything happen and ever since then, the Celtics walked away and stayed away,” the GM told Deveney. “I think the Celtics’ focus is more on paying Jaylen going forward and putting the right team around him and Tatum. So I’d say they made their decision on the whole Durant thing, and it is still a no.”
Brown Responded to the Rumors at Media Day
At Celtics Media Day, Brown was asked if he had spoken to the front office about the Durant rumors.
“Yes and no,” Brown said. “I’ve talked to my teammates, I’ve talked to ownership, organization, etc. I keep those conversations between us. All I can say is that now that I’m here, I’m ready to play basketball. I’m in great shape, probably the best shape of my life, so I’m excited to start the journey. Things have gotten to the start that we wanted it to go, but that’s life sometimes, so put our best foot forward and do what we’ve got to do.”
Brown — who has been involved in myriad trade rumors over the years — was asked what it was like hearing his name crop up once again.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” Brown said. “It’s been the same since I’ve been here, so it wasn’t surprising or it wasn’t not surprising. It didn’t make me feel some type of way or whatever. It is what it is. I talked to my teammates, organization about it and now I’m just ready to play basketball.”
Brown is averaging 26.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game so far this season.
Kevin Durant Rescinded His Trade Request but the Nets Are Struggling
After the Nets failed to find him a suitable landing spot, Durant rescinded his trade request and returned to the team in August.
“I felt like we had a good team,” Durant told reporters on September 30. “I felt like this is a place that I said I wanted to be and we’re starting to set something up in the future to be a solid team. To be honest, I thought [the Nets] were still a great option, too. I didn’t want [the trade request] to get in the way of the games being played.
“I still love my teammates. I love playing at the Barclays. So I felt like regardless it’s going to be an easy decision to come back and play because I love to hoop. This has been a good environment for me the last two years, even though I had some doubts. But overall, looking at it, I still like to come in here and get work in.”
The Nets, however, are struggling enormously in the early going. On the court, they are 2-5 and have the third-worst point differential in the league. Off the court, Kyrie Irving’s continued drama and Ben Simmons’ struggles make it difficult to project much improvement. It remains to be seen if Durant will stick with his new commitment to the team.