Why Celtics Reportedly Might Be Out Of Running To Trade For Kevin Durant

There’s been some lulls on the Kevin Durant trade front after the Brooklyn Nets superstar requested a trade over a month ago.

Sure, there have been riveting moments, too, like last week when the Celtics reportedly offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Durant. But nothing has come from of all the rumors, as Durant is still firmly planted in Brooklyn for the time being.

There might a reason for that, according to well-connected NBA writer Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. It seems those around the league aren’t exactly thrilled with how the Durant sweepstakes have been handled by the Nets, and how reported trade offers, like the one the Celtics reportedly sent Brooklyn’s way, have made their way to the media.

“I think there’s some teams that aren’t very happy that when they talk to Brooklyn it gets in the papers,” a personal executive from an NBA team told Bulpett. “That doesn’t help. I’ve talked with a couple of teams that are not happy with the rumors that creep out of there through all this. It’s not a good way to do business.”

Of course, the Nets might have an ulterior motive by leaking trade information, especially from the Celtics point of view. Many wonder if Brown’s name coming up in trade discussions will severely damage his relationship with Boston’s brass, and have the 25-year-old looking for somewhere else to play once his contract expires after the 2023-24 season.

That’s part of the reason why the Celtics trading for Durant seems unlikely now, per Bulpett.

“That’s probably why they won’t get anything done and why they haven’t had any conversations for a while,” a source told Bulpett. “I don’t think they are going to get anything done with Boston.”

There finally might be some clarity on what the Nets do with Durant in the coming days, as he his expected to meet with Nets owner Joe Tsai this week, according to Bulpett.

But whatever comes out of that meeting, it seems the chances of Durant getting traded to the Celtics are starting to get slimmer and slimmer.