The Celtics reportedly made an effort, but it doesn’t seem like Boston was all that close to acquiring Kevin Durant.
The reigning Eastern Conference champions over the past month were tabbed as the frontrunner to land Durant, who requested a trade from the Nets at the end of June. But KD no longer is looking to relocate, as the superstar forward and Brooklyn have decided to move forward with their partnership.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania joined “The Rich Eisen Show” on Wednesday to talk all things Durant, including why his trade request ultimately was rescinded. In doing so, the NBA insider revealed how the C’s fared in the KD sweepstakes.
“The best offer, I’m told, that the Nets had on the table was from the Celtics: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a first-round pick,” Charania told Eisen. “The price tag that the Nets had put forth on Kevin Durant — you could say they might have been even asking for something that they know was never going to be attainable anyway, right? At the end of the day, when you have a guy that’s a 12-time All-Star, two-time Finals MVP, going to go down in the Hall of Fame, one of the top-15, 12 players ever, you have a high asking price. That price was never going to be met and I think both sides understood that this is the best opportunity to win a championship.”
The Nets reportedly countered the Celtics’ offer by asking for Brown, Marcus Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player. At that point, Brad Stevens and company might have known a Durant-to-Boston trade wasn’t realistic, especially when you consider the term on the veteran’s contract.
Durant’s Nets in a few months will go back to competing against the Celtics for East supremacy. Boston currently has the shortest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the conference, but Brooklyn is only one spot behind.
