Two of the NBA’s top insiders on Monday reported the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets have had trade conversations about Kevin Durant.
The key word there might be “had.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the Celtics and the Nets had talked shop about Durant, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania followed up with details about a reported Boston trade offer that Brooklyn shut down. The sequence of the reports suggested the C’s and the Nets were in the early stage of negotiations and might still be regularly in touch.
But according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Celtics-Nets talks about KD are in the rearview.
“I don’t think the Nets are involved in active talks right now,” Windhorst said Monday on 98.7 Arizona Sports, as transcribed by Sarah Kezele. “… I know it came out today so it’s front of mind, but those are not fresh talks.”
Windhorst added: “Right now the Nets’ viewpoint is: If they can’t get their price, they’re going to ride out the storm. …They could start the season with Durant or that could be a negotiating stance.”
It’s entirely possible the Celtics reconnect with the Nets later this summer, as NBA teams typically keep the phone lines open until a few weeks before the start of the regular season. That said, there’s also a chance Boston simply was doing its due diligence and already has moved on.
