Stephen A. Smith restokes the flames of a Kevin Durant-Jaylen Brown trade

BOSTON -- Kevin Durant trade rumors are back. With that, the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown are once again being dragged into the mix.

You can thank Stephen A. Smith, who has heard that Durant is "on the verge of potentially being moved out" of Brooklyn. Which means... the Nets are thinking about thinking about moving Durant? 

It should come as no surprise that Durant is hitting the trade block. Not after the Nets traded away disgruntled point guard Kyrie Irving over the weekend, sending him to the Dallas Mavericks after he requested a trade last Friday. 

With Irving gone, the Nets lost the second part of their 1-2 superstar punch. It makes Brooklyn a much less appealing spot for the 34-year-old Durant, who is signed through 2026 at an average of $50 million per season. 

Durant is currently out with a knee injury, but that won't keep teams from salivating over adding the all-time talent to their roster.

The Celtics made a phone call and reportedly an offer over the summer when a displeased Durant was first on the market. Jaylen Brown was reportedly part of that offer, but it obviously didn't amount to anything. Durant stayed in Brooklyn, and Brown is still a key part of the first-place Celtics.

But Smith fanned some old flames on Monday morning, throwing Boston and Brown back into the fray.

"I'm hearing that [Durant]'s on the verge of potentially being moved out, as we've all been speculating about that, that he may be moved," Smith said on Monday's First Take. "On the phone, I'm hearing Boston has been making some calls. Keep your eye on that. Jaylen Brown. Keep your eye on that."

Can we get that Michael Jordan "stop it" gif, please? 

A Durant-Brown swap was an interesting idea a few months ago. But that was before Brown went out and forth career-best numbers to earn his second All-Star nod. Durant is still Durant (Translation: He's awesome and remains an All-Time player) but he's also eight years older than Brown, and he's currently injured. He's also making a massive amount of money.

And it would cost Brad Stevens a lot more than just Brown to get Durant, and that's just to match salaries. Having to throw Derrick White and others into the mix -- with White also becoming a much better player than he was when these rumors first started -- would crush the depth that has served Boston so well this season.

Would swapping Brown and others for Durant be a good move for the Celtics? It was the first time it was floated out there, though even that is debatable. Now, with the team sitting in first place, it makes a lot less sense for Boston. The only way it would make sense is if Brown has made it clear to the Boston brass that he'll be bringing his talents elsewhere when he hits free agency after next season.

Also, keep in mind that Brad Stevens likes to operate under the radar. There was no indication that the Celtics were interested in White ahead of last season's trade deadline, and his blockbuster trade for Malcolm Brogdon over the summer came out of nowhere. It's the moves you don't hear about that come to fruition.

Did the Celtics make a call about Durant over the weekend? Probably. They'd be crazy not to.

But breaking up a core that seems determined to right the wrongs after coming up short in the NBA Finals last summer? That would be pretty crazy too. 

For now, let's just leave these rumors as wild speculation by a wild speculator.