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Alas, Brooklyn Nets fans, the Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving trade drama is officially over. The team announced on August 23rd that all trade negotiations have ceased, and Durant will return for the 2023 season after meeting with the Nets brass.
“Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement.
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Celtics Urged to Sign LaMarcus Aldridge
Now that the drama is finally over, the Nets can get back to more important matters as they gear up for training camp to begin next month. That starts with rounding out the roster before the season begins, which unfortunately means that the Nets will have to make tough decisions on who will stay and who will go.
Durant and Irving may be staying put, but another All-Star may be on his way out of Brooklyn before the season starts. Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report is urging the Boston Celtics to strike a deal with Nets free agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge.
“If the Celtics do anything, it could be to add some more depth to the frontcourt,” Kasabian writes.
“With that in mind, there are a few forwards or bigs on the market if the C’s feel they need reinforcements, either now or during the season. They include LaMarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony, Montrezl Harrell, DeMarcus Cousins, and Hassan Whiteside.”
Aldridge Could Be a Relief for Al Horford
The Celtics were two wins away from defeating the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals this past June. And as close as they were to reaching the mountaintop, Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office have already significantly improved their roster from last season with the additions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari.
Boston’s glaring weakness in that Finals was the big man position as they simply did not have enough contributions from their frontcourt reserves to match the Warriors. As a result, Celtics veteran Al Horford had to play extended minutes. Kasabian says that Aldridge could supplement Horford as another contributing reserve off the bench.
“Horford was tremendous in the playoffs thanks to 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and he was a massive reason why the C’s won the East. He’s also 36 years old and entering his 16th NBA season, and he could potentially use more rest or play fewer minutes to stay fresh for the playoffs,” Kasabian added.
“Aldridge provides size at 6’11” and range and could be the best fit. He averaged 12.9 points on 55.0 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. The longtime veteran isn’t going to provide 25-30 minutes a night, but he could slide in as needed and hop on a championship roster for the first time in his career.”
After being bought out by the San Antonio Spurs during the 2021 season, Aldridge shocked everyone by signing with the Brooklyn Nets, hoping to secure the first title of his career. Unfortunately, that vision never came to fruition. If he does sign with the Celtics, it may be his best chance yet to win a ring.
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