Celtics reportedly offered trade package centered around Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant
BOSTON -- The Kevin Durant rumor mill is heating back up, with the Boston Celtics now in the thick of all the mayhem.
It has been about a month since Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and there is no real end in sight. But early Monday morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Boston has emerged as one of the teams engaged in trade talks with Brooklyn, though no deal was considered imminent.
The Athletic's Shams Charania took things a little further later Monday morning, detailing the trade package that Brad Stevens recently offered up to the Nets. The package is centered around Jaylen Brown, and includes guard Derrick White and a draft pick.
The Nets rejected that offer and asked the Celtics to included Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart in any future proposal, along with Brown, draft picks and potentially another rotational player, according to Charania. The Celtics are "less inclined" to include Smart, according to Charania, but the Boston brass is "mulling over the next steps on how to approach discussions."
The big takeaway, though, is that the Celtics are in the Durant sweepstakes and "have emerged as a serious possibility as a landing spot for Durant," according to Charania.
The appeal is obvious for the Celtics: This is Kevin Durant. He may be 33 with a lot of mileage on his body but he's one of the best players on the planet, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a 12-time All-Star. He's also signed for four more years, and would pair nicely alongside Jayson Tatum as the Celtics try to get over the championship hump.
It wouldn't come without risk. Durant has played just 90 games the last three seasons because of injuries, and the Celtics just swept Brooklyn in the first round of the NBA playoffs. And giving up an incredible two-way talent like Brown, who is only 25, would obviously be tough to take for most Celtics fans.
Brown was Boston's best player for large stretches during the NBA Finals, and he seems to get better each and every year. But he is only signed for two more years, and if Stevens and the Celtics don't feel confident that Brown would sign a long-term extension in Boston (there are rumblings that he wants to be the top guy of a team), trading Brown for Durant would make sense.
The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are also in the mix for Durant, so Monday's barrage of Boston involvement could just be the Nets brass putting some info out there so other teams have a little incentive to up their offers. Charania doesn't believe any deal is imminent, but the Nets would likely want this situation resolved before training camp gets underway at the end of September.
So sit tight, Celtics fans. The offseason is far from over.
