The Phoenix Suns just traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, and the deal may teach the Boston Celtics a very important lesson about a Jaylen Brown (or Derrick White) decision. Phoenix was backed into a corner, as Durant had already made it known that he wanted out, and teams around the league were unwilling to up their price for the superstar forward.
Because of that, the Suns likely weren’t able to get as big of a haul as they may have wanted, though they still came away from the deal with a solid package. They got Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round picks from Houston. If anything, the Durant trade, in tandem with the Desmond Bane deal, teaches a very important lesson.
Trade pricing wholly depends on the individual situations.
What does Kevin Durant trade teach Celtics?
In the deal for Bane, the Orlando Magic gave up a ton of draft picks. Four first-rounders and a first-round pick swap, to be exact. It was a massive haul for Bane. But that’s because the Memphis Grizzlies weren’t actively trying to trade him. They could have kept him around, and everything would have been fine. Orlando had to pay to get him out of Memphis.
That wasn’t the case with the Suns.
Durant had made it well-known that he wanted out, so the price teams around the league were willing to pay was very limited. The San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, and Rockets were reportedly unwilling to increase their individual offers because they didn’t feel like they had to.
The Celtics live in a healthy middle ground, ready to learn from the Durant and Bane trades equally.
On the one hand, they could raise their asking prices for Brown and White because they have no need to trade them. Their primary goal this summer is supposedly getting under the second apron, and they can accomplish that goal by moving off of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis’ contract (or even Sam Hauser’s).
There is no pressure for the Celtics to trade Brown and White, so they would have to be wowed with a Bane-level offer.
At the same time, they can look at the Suns, understand the mess they were in with Durant’s desire to be traded, and avoid that same situation because they don’t have to give up any leverage.
If the Celtics trade Brown or White this summer, expect them to demand way more from a team than the Suns were able to for Durant. Trades have everything to do with the situation and the circumstances at hand.
The Suns had to leverage. The Celtics have plenty.