As Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant’s trade request nears Week 4, the Boston Celtics have emerged among teams engaged in talks over a possible deal, sources have told ESPN.
The Celtics don’t seem any closer to acquiring Durant than others in talks with the Nets, but Boston’s ability to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown as a centerpiece of the offers helps make the team formidable in his pursuit, sources said.
The Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors are well known for having varying degrees of interest in Durant, but the Celtics have also been in regular contact with the Nets, sources said.
There are no deals expected to work for Durant, and no team has yet reached the meaningful threshold the Nets have set to trade one of the league’s most talented players, sources say. . The Nets’ stance on a potential trade has remained largely unchanged: They want a massive return that potentially includes multiple unprotected first-round picks, pick trades and hard-hitting players for Durant, sources said.
The Celtics consider All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum off limits in all trade negotiations, but Boston is able to build a package for Durant that could include Brown and up to three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) – and two pick swaps (2024 and 2026). Brown, 25, has two years and $56 million left on his current contract.
Durant, a 12-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, requested a trade on June 30 and has not backed down from that request. At 33, Durant has four years and $198 million left on his contract, which means Brooklyn can be patient as teams wait for the kind of comeback he believes will eventually emerge for a star player reaching the market. business at its peak.
The Celtics beat the Nets 4-0 in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series last season and built the core of their current team, in part, from draft compensation from a 2013 trade that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets. Both Tatum and Brown were acquired via Brooklyn picks delivered to Boston.