Common sense at this point suggests it’s highly unlikely the Boston Celtics will trade for Kevin Durant before the 2022-23 NBA season.
Still, until the Brooklyn Nets send Durant elsewhere, there’s going to be lingering debate over whether the C’s should attempt to land the 12-time All-Star. After all, the Celtics theoretically could offer an enticing trade package centered around Jaylen Brown.
Now, one certainly could argue trading Brown as part of a blockbuster for Durant makes no sense, as the former still is evolving ahead of his age-26 season whereas the latter is about to turn 34. And Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens might be thinking along those same lines.
“Jaylen Brown makes sense in theory as the centerpiece of a Durant megadeal, and the Celtics have to be wary of Brown’s unrestricted free agency in two years,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote in a piece published Friday. “But there have been no substantive talks about such a deal, sources say.”
While this doesn’t completely shut the door on a possible Durant-to-Celtics trade, Lowe’s report certainly makes it even harder to imagine a scenario in which Boston makes a strong push for KD.
Stevens likely will keep tabs on the situation, more so to know what the Celtics are up against in the Eastern Conference this season. But Boston just took the Golden State Warriors to six games in the NBA Finals — thanks to a solid foundation centered around Brown and Jayson Tatum — and the Celtics have had an excellent offseason by adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. There’s really no reason to restructure the entire roster to add Durant, despite his obvious greatness.
As of Friday night, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Celtics as the betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals — without Durant. Offering up Brown — let alone Tatum — in addition to other assets seems like a risk that’s simply not worth taking.
