Boston Celtics: Multi-team blockbuster proposal sends Kevin Durant to Raptors

Here we are in late August, and if you wouldn’t believe it, Kevin Durant has still not been traded from the Brooklyn Nets despite putting in a trade request last June. According to the Boston Globe, league sources have insisted for weeks that the Boston Celtics have not had ‘any real discussions of substance with the Nets about Durant,’ and they’ve ‘communicated with Jaylen Brown about the situation frequently.’

Hardwood Houdini hears that and can’t help but think that there’s a very little chance KD ends up as Jayson Tatum’s co-star in Celtics green this fall, but we also can’t help but feel like Durant remaining in Brooklyn is an unlikely possibility as well.

Someone is going to pay the price necessary to pry away the 33-year-old 12x All-Star from the ‘Big Apple’ and one of the primary contenders in the KD sweepstakes is the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have pieces that interest the Nets, namely Scottie Barnes, and have a head coach in Nick Nurse that would likely garner more respect from Durant than Steve Nash has in Brooklyn.

With an aim to improve the C’s roster in the process, here is a three-team blockbuster that sends Kevin Durant to the Raptors:

Why the Boston Celtics do it

The Boston Celtics have the least impactful role in this three-team blockbuster, swapping out a backup point guard for a backup big man. With that said, there is critical improvement for the Cs in this deal by addressing a position of need.

Boston’s backcourt right now includes Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard, and not all of them are expected to stick on the roster by this time next offseason. While all four can complement each other, it could be in Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens’ best interest to turn this surplus depth into another big man.

Precious Achiuwa showed in his first season in Toronto that despite being a bit undersized, his motor and aggression more than make up for it. He’d be a fit next to either Robert Williams, Al Horford, Danilo Gallinari, or Grant Williams in the frontcourt.

Why the Toronto Raptors do it

The price for Kevin Durant is going to be steep, and given their 2018-19 NBA Championship in Nick Nurse’s first-year and relative lack of success since, it’s worth paying for the Toronto Raptors as the franchise continues to attempt a rebound from the financial issues the COVID-19 pandemic caused.

As long as Paschal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are still in tow–with veterans like Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young providing two-way presences in the second unit–the Raptors represent a win-now situation for Durant.

Why the Brooklyn Nets do it

Replacing one of the game’s all-time greats isn’t an enviable task, but doing so with Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, and Payton Pritchard is a damn fine start. The hypothetically Toronto-bound group provides two-way production and sweet-shooting.

If Kyrie Irving is sticking around, he’d have a core around him that could help the point guard finally lead his own team to the postseason. Should he also be dealt, Brooklyn would have a young core that could grow together, equipped with a potential star centerpiece (Barnes), a defensive stud shooting 37% from deep in his career (Anunoby), a sniper at the 2 (Trent Jr.) and an ideal second unit sharpshooter (Pritchard) all under the age of 26.