Kevin Durant has an indescribable connection to Boston.
In the 2007 draft, when he and Greg Oden were hailed as the unparalleled geniuses of the year, Celtic exhausted his mind and tanked to win the second-to-last position in the league, but finally lost to fate and only won fifth. Ranked sign. Durant ended up making his Hall of Fame career in Seattle; but Boston also had the opportunity to combine the “Big Three” and win a championship in 2008.
Then in the summer of 2016, the Celtics had another chance to chase KD, and they (and even Tom Brady) came to the Hamptons to lobby Durant; however, the latter eventually joined the Golden State Warriors, and started his own reign of domination. After 2 FMVPs, this time, fate is on KD’s side.
Maybe… nothing more than three things? Because according to reports, Boston is actively chasing death once more.
According to a previous report by ESPN whistleblower Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics have offered the Nets a package headed by Jaylen Brown, and they also have enough assets to give the Nets a nod. Then The Athletic’s well-known reporter Shams Charania added that Boston’s package included Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick; the Nets refused and asked for the package to add Marcus Smart and multiple picks, and maybe add a rotation player. Shams said the Celtics didn’t want to include their Defensive Player of the Year, but were still “mulling over next steps.”
As long as the news is coming from Woj and Shams, you can tell that things are serious.Strictly speaking, Boston, who has just entered the championship game, has no reason to urgently trade Brown, and he himselfsaid on twitterDispleased with this news. Competing for Kawhi Leonard and then Anthony Davis many years ago, Jaylen was once a hot topic of discussion regarding the trade package. Unexpectedly, today, less than three months before helping the team to the championship game, he was once once more used as a bargaining chip. In exchange, any player should be frustrated.
But if I were the GM, I’d trade Brown for Durant without any hesitation. Even though Brown is only 26 years old at the end of this year, 8 years younger than KD, and clearly has room for improvement; Durant is undoubtedly the better player at this stage. He scores more efficiently; has more experience with the ball and is more impactful on the defensive end, and even though he’s turning 34, he still plays like a perfect basketball product, and if Durant and Jayson Tatum join forces, they’re definitely Will be closer to the championship than this year.
Further reading:Ignoring offensive rules, scoring machines reach their peak once more: Kevin Durant
However, how much should Celtic give up in order to grab the Grim Reaper? Durant’s age and injury history must be taken into account, Brown is a star on the verge of reaching his prime; Smart is the soul of the entire team and the longest-serving player in the Serbian army. The Celtics will of course want to replace Smart with White, although there will be more sacrificed picks – Boston can provide unprotected 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, and even add 2024, 2026 first-round pick swaps . From the Nets’ point of view, of course, these chips have to be set.
For the Nets, in addition to Brown, it is understandable that they also want to search for Smart and as many picks as possible. After all, Brown has not yet been tied to a long-term contract, and his value has been somewhat discounted. It is difficult for the Nets to confirm that the stars they traded will not be held in a year or two; however, they can be exchanged with Durant in the market. Among the stars, Brown may already be the best candidate. Although Tatum is the ace star on the account of the Celtics; but don’t forget that in this year’s championship game, Brown is the most scoring star of the Serbian army. Treating him as the ace of the team is likely to stimulate his ability once more. More likely to promote his willingness to sign an extension.
What we know so far regarding Brad Stevens following he took office is that he is a “daring” management class. Last summer, he traded his first-round pick back to Al Horford; midway through last season, he gave up this year’s first-rounder (and the 2028 first-rounder swap rights) to acquire White. Last month, he even snatched Malcolm Brogdon with a 2023 first-round pick; but trading Duran with Brown and Smart as a bargaining chip has a completely different level and meaning.
Smart is the kind of player who pushes his teammates, the kind of fighter who boosts his teammates’ morale by fighting and yelling, and sets the tone for the Celtics’ defense every game by leading by example. Can Celtic really afford to lose him without a clear successor?
