Trade talks for Kevin Durant don’t appear to be ongoing for any team, including the Boston Celtics, at the moment with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst saying ‘as for Kevin Durant, here’s what there is: nothing.’
In fact, there may never be a Durant deal this summer. Or ever. Windhorst added that ‘at this point, the Brooklyn Nets’ preferred situation is for Kevin Durant to stay with them.’
Fellow ESPN reporter Zach Lowe added some context to the situation from a Celtics perspective, saying that ‘there have been no substantive talks about such a deal.’ With that said, though, Lowe did drop an intriguing nugget in his report as well.
“The Lowe Post” host said that ‘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.’
Jaylen Brown’s 2024 free agency could be reason enough for the Boston Celtics to consider a KD trade if price drops
According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Tsai “had already reached his limit” with the KD-Kyrie Irving era in Kings County ‘after years of injuries, off-court embarrassments and playoff failures were followed by threats leaked by Irving and Durant during Brooklyn’s contract negotiations with Irving.’ The Nets are not impressed right now with offers, but they could eventually have their hand forced if Durant is relentless about being moved out of Brooklyn.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics might not have the happiest co-star for Jayson Tatum if WEEI is worth its weight in any meaningful capacity. Jermaine Wiggins, a regular on the Greg Hill Morning Show and the Gresh and Keefe mid-day show on sports radio WEEI in Boston and a former Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, recently claimed that Jaylen Brown told him that he wants out of Beantown.
If there is smoke emanating Wiggins’ apparent rendezvous with Brown in the Hamptons, then Lowe may have set a small fire by saying that the Celtics have to be wary of his unrestricted free agency in 2024.
There’s no guarantee that this current Cs core gets the job done in a re-loaded Eastern Conference with Khris Middleton returning to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat potentially seeing another step forward from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Nikola Jovic could be a pivotal second unit addition in Miami’s frontcourt as well.
Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has been aggressive so far in his one year and change in charge of the front office. He could make his most ambitious win-now move yet by acquiring a top 15 player in the history of the game. It’d make sense if his No. 2 option isn’t sold on the Cs for the long-term, or even worse, wants to bolt Boston like Wiggins said.