Kevin Durant will remain with the Brooklyn Nets after nearly two months of trade speculation that included the Boston Celtics among other teams.
The Nets revealed Tuesday the organization met with Durant and all agreed to move forward with Brooklyn as is. Durant, who requested a trade on June 30, is under contract for the next four seasons.
For the Celtics specifically, it’s positive news.
Sure, it means Durant remains with an Eastern Conference rival, potentially impacting Boston’s run at a NBA championship. But it also means Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and others remain in Boston after being included in trade reports centering around Durant.
The Celtics, who came up two wins shy of their long-awaited Banner 18 earlier this summer, improved their depth with the additions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. Boston is better now with those additions. The Celtics, at least as it currently stands, also seem poised to be better in the long-term with Brown and company instead of Durant.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania previously reported the Celtics offered Brown and Derrick White in a trade package for Durant. The Nets, according to Charania, instead countered by asking for Brown and Smart.
But now, especially since we can look back and confirm no team was interested in Brooklyn’s high-priced demands, it’s fair to question those trade talks. To be clear, we’re not questioning the reports, but the extent of the talks themselves. Perhaps the Celtics, as was reported by multiple outlets, were simply kicking the tires on Durant with exploratory conversations rather than more serious talks? Perhaps the Nets wanted to make those talks appear to have more substance? After all, the Nets benefited much more by including Brown’s name than the Celtics did. Boston instead was forced to play damage control with Brown, which it seems is has.
Nevertheless, the reveal by the Nets on Tuesday clearly indicates no team — Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics, etc. — was willing to meet Brooklyn’s demands. And the Celtics, especially in the long run, are better off because of it.
