It wasn’t long ago when most basketball fans and media considered Kevin Durant the best basketball player in the world. Some still do, which is why it doesn’t surprise that the list of his suitors is growing by day after he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
According to The Athletic‘s NBA insider Shams Charania, the latest team to get involved in the KD sweepstakes is the Boston Celtics. The 2022 NBA finalists have reportedly engaged in talks with the Nets and have already sent out an official offer.
Charania reports that Boston’s first offer included All-Star Jaylen Brown, guard Derrick White, and a draft pick, but the Nets decided to pass on it and counter with their own proposal. Brooklyn will accept Brown and draft picks but also wants reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and an additional rotation player included in the deal. The Celtics have so far been reluctant to make Smart part of the deal.
It is easy why both sides have the motivation to pull off a deal. The Celtics are already an NBA finals team as they are, and swapping Brown for Durant would, in theory, get them over the hump. The Nets, on the other hand, would get everything they have asked for in a potential KD trade, including an All-Star player, a starter, and draft picks.
The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors still remain engaged with the Nets, although these conversations haven’t progressed as much as expected. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns are considered out of the race after giving DeAndre Ayton a max deal earlier this month.
