Analyst says Boston Celtics ‘won’t do’ Kevin Durant trade but Pelicans could
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports shared some very interesting intel on the Kevin Durant trade front pertaining to the Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Regarding the latter, well, there isn’t anything going on in the KD-to-the-Rose City front. “Nothing is going on” was the exact intel Robinson received on the Blazers, who would make a great redemption arc after the franchise passed on him in 2007 with the No. 1 pick but don’t own the necessary trade pieces to pull off such a blockbuster. So, in essence, Portland is in a holding pattern and likely doesn’t escape it in time to land the 33-year-old 2x Finals MVP.
As for the other two teams, the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans, some Cs fans that wanted to keep last year’s core together will love the whispers being relayed to Robinson from his sources.
The source said “Boston’s not going to make the deal,” while adding that the Pelicans “have the picks to do it.”
The Boston Celtics could top a New Orleans Pelicans trade offer but don’t have the incentive to
If a full-on bidding war breaks out between the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans for Kevin Durant’s services, the ‘Big Easy’ just may be destined to be the next home of the ‘Slim Reaper.’
Boston could trump any other offer for KD with the inclusion of Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown combined with a multitude of picks, plus one or both of Grant Williams and/or Payton Pritchard. But if New Orleans were to include every tradeable and swappable pick in the next decade, the Cs would have little incentive to match.
As it stands, the 2022-23 Celtics are almost universally seen as the favorites in the Eastern Conference and are already the team to beat to many sportsbooks. They won’t risk compromising their future just to outbid the Pelicans for a star they just swept out of the postseason.