Kevin Durant

Rival NBA executives reportedly believe the Boston Celtics can offer the best player in a Kevin Durant trade package, likely in the form of Jaylen Brown, but think the C's will "probably balk" if the Brooklyn Nets insist on another key starter in the deal.

Jay King of The Athletic reported Wednesday the Celtics would be hesitant to add either Marcus Smart or Robert Williams III to the offer, while it's unclear whether the Nets view Derrick White as a significant enough piece alongside Brown and first-round draft picks.

Boston has emerged as a potential landing spot for Durant in large part because it features the assets necessary to satisfy Brooklyn, which is seeking a king's ransom for 12-time All-Star.

The Celtics initially offered Brown, White and one draft pick, but the Nets rejected the proposal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Brooklyn, which has also received KD interest from the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, asked Boston for Brown, Smart, multiple picks and potentially another rotation player in the deal, according to Charania.

So it's clear the sides have quite a gap to close to pull off a blockbuster deal.

The question for the Celtics is whether they're willing to break up their core in a major way for a chance to pair Durant with Jayson Tatum to form perhaps the NBA's best one-two punch.

It's an intriguing option given the nightmare matchup KD and Tatum would represent, but giving up two or three impact pieces along with future draft picks would also come with a lot of risk for a franchise that's been on the brink of a championship in recent years.

Boston has qualified for the playoffs in eight straight seasons, and it's reached at least the Eastern Conference Finals in four of the past six years. It reached last season's NBA Finals before falling short against the Golden State Warriors in six games.

A trade centered around Brown and White is more palatable for the Celtics, but moving a defensive stalwart like Smart or Williams without a direct replacement is a tough ask, especially since it would also include multiple first-rounders.

It'll be interesting to see whether the teams can find any common ground. Brooklyn is more likely to drop its asking price as training camp draws closer as it tries to avoid another drama-filled season like it dealt with in 2021-22.

If not, the Celtics should remain confident about staying in the championship conversation, even without landing Durant.

Kevin Durant knew what reporters were going to ask, so he simply did not allow them to get in a question.

The disgruntled Brooklyn Nets forward made an appearance on the red carpet Tuesday for the premiere of NYC Point Gods but did not stop to talk to reporters.

It's been nearly a month since Durant requested a trade from the Nets, and we are seemingly nowhere close to a resolution. Brooklyn has set a massive asking price for the future Hall of Famer, one teams have, to this point, been nowhere near willing to match.

"Brooklyn does want to trade Kevin Durant. They're serious about it, but they want to do it on their terms," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Monday on SportsCenter. "They want to do it for the kind of package they want back. They need teams—unless they're going to lower their asking price—Brooklyn needs teams to step up and start offering more than they have."

Durant avoiding media questions about his status in Brooklyn is no surprise. He's had an occasionally standoffish relationship with media throughout his career as is.

The idea that he would take time out at a red-carpet premiere to air his grievances is some pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking from reporters.

Don't expect Durant to make many—if any—statements through the media until he's contractually obligated to do so next season.

Wherever that season may wind up being played.

When news broke Monday that the Boston Celtics had been willing to offer Jaylen Brown to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade for Kevin Durant, it didn't appear to sit well with the 25-year-old. His tweet shortly after the reports came out indicated as much.

Brown reportedly wants to remain with the Celtics, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, but how much damage have they done? A number of NBA officials who spoke with Bleacher Report believe the Celtics should be worried. Even if the Celtics had made a cursory call—which NBA teams do all the time when a top-flight player like Durant becomes available—league insiders believe this flirtation with Durant could easily come back to bite them.

While trade rumors are nothing new to Brown—he's been mentioned in unsubstantiated trade rumors for Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ben Simmons and Anthony Davis—this round of trade talks involving him is unlike past conversations.

Why?

Brown just completed his sixth NBA season, all of which have seen the Celtics make the playoffs. He has been part of three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals or beyond. In his most recent trip, he and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals pushing the Golden State Warriors to six games.

And Boston just swept the Durant-led Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Brown came away from that series—and the rest of the playoffs—looking like a true star.

"Jaylen won't let this affect his play, but he won't forget this, either," one Eastern Conference scout said. "The kind of season he had, the team had…I know this is a business and he knows it's a business, but hearing your name in trade rumors, even if it's Kevin Durant in the deal, can't feel good considering how he played against KD and how the Celtics did against the Nets."

Another league executive said he can understand why Brown seeing his name brought up in trade rumors this time around—even for a player like Durant—is a different kind of feeling than previous times he was mentioned as being on the trade block.

"When you give your blood, sweat and tears, as I know he has to that team, and you don't feel you're getting that same love back, it'll definitely make you look different or look twice at your front office and how they do things," said a Western Conference coach.

It isn't unprecedented for a team that came up just short of winning an NBA title to make dramatic changes the following year. But the Celtics were a different kind of title contender, in large part because they are led by a pair of players who are 25 or younger.

Brad Stevens, Boston's president of basketball operations, was careful in adding to the mix of his roster without touching his core group. Earlier in July, the Celtics acquired Malcolm Brogdan via trade from Indiana and signed Danilo Gallinari after he cleared waivers, addressing two of their more glaring weaknesses from last season—bench scoring and a perimeter stretch big.

Still, even if the Celtics did nothing other than throw out some names to stir up conversation with Brooklyn, they have more to be worried about than Brown's feelings. Their success last season was heavily fueled by the behind-the-scenes togetherness that allowed them to stand strong during turbulent times, of which there were plenty.

The Celtics have gradually built themselves into a potential title contender for years to come. Because of their youthful core, the Celtics don't have to make major changes to their roster to remain an elite NBA team.

A Durant deal would fundamentally change Boston's core dynamic. A second Eastern Conference scout pointed to the impact Durant would have on Tatum, who has blossomed into a top-tier superstar himself.

"Can those two co-exist?" the scout said. "Both need the ball in their hands to be impactful. Both are long, long-range shooters, can put the ball on the floor and score in a lot of ways. But can they play nice with each other? I have no idea."

So, why take something that works and try something that might not work?

Because winning an NBA title is about taking chances in making deals that are good for many but don’t necessarily create a clear pathway toward a championship.

But that ultimate prize, an NBA title, has to be the end result if you are the Boston Celtics.

Because anything short of that while moving on from Brown will make this potential deal for Durant an absolute disaster.

Jayson Tatum didn't seem like someone anxious to break up the Boston Celtics after they reached the NBA Finals last season.

Nick Friedell of ESPN reported Tuesday that Tatum didn't want to talk about trade speculation while in New York City for a documentary premiere, but he did say "I love our team."

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday the Celtics offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant but were "less inclined" to include Marcus Smart.

It appeared as if Brown wasn't the biggest fan of being included in potential trade packages:

Boston made the NBA Finals in large part because of Brown's two-way impact. He is just 25 years old with the abilities to stretch the floor from deep, attack off the bounce and defend an opponent's best player, and it's not every day a player of his caliber and age is possibly available in a trade.

It's also not every day a team that just reached the Finals could add a generational talent such as Durant.

Pairing Durant with Tatum could be what maximizes Boston's wide-open championship window. The future Hall of Famer is an all-time player with a resume that includes two titles, two NBA Finals MVPs, the 2013-14 MVP award, four scoring titles, 10 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Star nods.

The Celtics also run the risk of upsetting team chemistry by trying to land Durant, whether they acquire him or not.

Tatum surely isn't going to say anything that could make that possibility worse, especially before a potential trade is finalized. And it isn't a stretch to suggest the Celtics could win the championship if Tatum, Brown, Smart, Robert Williams III and the newly acquired Malcolm Brogdon are leading the way.

Still, this may be the rare opportunity to get a worthwhile return for a player of Brown's caliber.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that "this seems to be the first moment the Celtics have truly explored the possibility of moving Brown" since they backed away from doing so in previous potential deals for Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.

"There aren't many players Boston would swap Brown for, but the Celtics franchise has coveted Durant since before his 2006-07 draft year, when they fumbled games in an attempt to land him or Greg Oden that June," Fischer wrote.

Maybe the Celtics will land Durant, but Tatum seems like he would be fine with it if they don't.

The Miami Heat were once regarded as one of the teams with the best chances of trading for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, but that no longer appears to be the case.

According to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Nets "have displayed little interest in the Heat's offer for the high-scoring superstar and Miami is moving ahead with its current roster for next season."

Jackson and Chiang noted that the Nets have shown interest in Heat center Bam Adebayo, but he hasn't been included in Miami's trade offers and the team "appears disinclined" to add him to discussions. However, Brooklyn would only be able to add Adebayo if it trades away Ben Simmons because of the designated rookie extension rule, which states that a team can't have two players on its roster signed to such extensions who were acquired via trade.

Durant reportedly requested a trade from the Nets in late June, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Miami and the Phoenix Suns were among his preferred destinations. But Brooklyn understandably has a high asking price for the 12-time All-Star, and no team has been able to meet those demands so far.

The Heat have enticing pieces such as 2022 Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and three-point sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Miami also has solid draft pick compensation to include in a potential deal.

Per Jackson and Chiang, the Heat are "currently eligible to include two unprotected first-round picks in a trade offer and could unlock a third unprotected first-round pick" if they manage to lift the lottery protections on a 2025 first-round pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That also would allow Miami to include three pick swaps in its offer to Brooklyn.

Still, it doesn't appear to be attractive enough for the Nets to part ways with Durant. All indications point to the situation likely continuing to play out during training camp and possibly into the regular season.

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly aiming to "drive the market" toward a blockbuster Kevin Durant trade sooner rather than later.

Jared Weiss of The Athletic reported Tuesday the Nets want to avoid the "kerfuffle" that could arise should KD opt to skip training camp if he's still on the team's roster ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Durant requested a trade from Brooklyn in late June, and the 12-time All-Star listed the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns among the preferred destinations, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

While Phoenix is likely out of the running after matching an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers for center Deandre Ayton, which limits its financial flexibility, Miami could still potentially make something work.

Weiss listed the Heat, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors as teams with the contender-level rosters and trade assets necessary to potentially satisfy both Durant and the Nets' front office.

The idea Brooklyn is rushing to find a solution as quickly as possible is different than previous reporting since the trade request, though.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported July 13 that "the vibe" around the Nets suggested the franchise was prepared to keep both Durant and Kyrie Irving if the right offers didn't arrive before the new season.

Irving can become a free agent after the 2022-23 campaign, so Brooklyn would obviously prefer to recoup some assets for him if it's heading toward a rebuild, but there isn't similar time pressure with Durant, who's under contract through 2025-26.

Although the prospect of a training camp holdout isn't ideal, the Nets can't afford to get these trades wrong. Falling short in the deals for KD and Irving, and possibly Ben Simmons if they decide to tear the roster down completely, would set the franchise back years.

General manager Sean Marks and Co. must thread the needle between finding a way to move on from a drama-filled couple of years and not getting fleeced for a perennial MVP candidate.

So far, there's been nothing to suggest any trades are imminent with a little under two months until training camp typically kicks off in mid-September.

The Boston Celtics have indeed made overtures to land superstar forward Kevin Durant, league sources told B/R, but Boston isn't exactly a new player in the Brooklyn Nets' ongoing trade process.

The Celtics' most serious discussion—as first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania on Monday—in which Brad Stevens' front office was amenable to parting with Jaylen Brown, came weeks ago at the beginning of July, sources said. Representatives from most rival teams spoke with Nets general manager Sean Marks and other Brooklyn officials during the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League.

Since the end of summer league, the majority of consequential trade conversations around the NBA have come to a momentary lull, and team personnel aren't expecting any blockbuster trade any time soon. That will only change if and when a team makes a sudden full-force effort to acquire Durant or Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Boston's conversations for Durant, specifically, were considered by both teams as part of the Nets' first stage of continuing negotiations, sources told B/R.

Durant is one of the NBA's unquestioned elite players and has four years remaining on his contract. The market price for an established All-Star has grown to unprecedented levels, thanks to Utah's massive haul for Rudy Gobert and San Antonio's significant return for Dejounte Murray. But with Durant turning 34 in September and a notable injury history that's limited him to only 90 games over the past three seasons, no rival teams' trade offers have come close to meeting Brooklyn's lofty expectations. Several opposing executives contacted by B/R have suggested the Nets' terms are so significant because Brooklyn has no intention to truly move Durant.

The Nets have sought at least one bona fide All-Star-caliber player, other contributing players and significant draft capital to consider any Durant package, sources said. Brooklyn also maintains a stance that Durant may ultimately survey the Nets' training camp roster and determine that playing in Barclays Center represents his best chance for a 2022-23 championship run.

For now, the Celtics' true legitimacy as a Durant suitor—as with any inquiring team—will be determined by their willingness to meet Brooklyn's wishes. But the Nets' firm positioning hasn't stopped rivals from drawing their own hard lines.

Interested teams are hopeful Brooklyn may ultimately have to lower its terms depending on Durant's response come late September, several months following his trade request. There has so far been zero indication he is plotting any type of holdout, but that scenario has been repeatedly mentioned by rival team executives as the one variable that could force Brooklyn to drop its expensive demands.

Is Brown Really Brooklyn's Best Option?

As Boston's second-leading scorer during a sprint to the 2022 NBA Finals, Brown would clearly qualify as one of the league's premier young players Brooklyn could theoretically gain from a Durant departure. But is Brown, 25, really a centerpiece capable of leading the Nets on a deep playoff run without Durant, a two-time Finals MVP?

Would Brooklyn view Brown on the same level of, say, Pelicans All-Star swingman Brandon Ingram or Toronto reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes? Both Ingram and Barnes are believed to be the type of cornerstone headliners the Nets are seeking in Durant conversations.

Gobert's trade value has provided Brooklyn with precedent to replenish its chest of draft capital—depleted during the James Harden blockbuster in January 2021—but the Nets have been described by league personnel as far more interested in a package that positions them for a title run.

Playing it out, if Phoenix's now-not-happening offer of Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and the richest possible number of draft picks likely wouldn't have been enough to satisfy Brooklyn, then Boston has a large gap between the Nets' towering price point and a package of Brown, Derrick White and a first-rounder. Ayton can no longer be traded until Jan. 15 after the Suns matched his offer sheet from Indiana.

Boston's Growing Tolerance for a Brown Trade

This seems to be the first moment the Celtics have truly explored the possibility of moving Brown. All the way back in 2018, Boston never made Brown available in its efforts to land Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs, sources told B/R.

When Anthony Davis was on the trade block in 2019, the Celtics only internally deliberated on including Brown in a package to New Orleans—the Pelicans' one significant offer for Davis came from Los Angeles, sources said. And when Boston inquired about Ben Simmons last fall, the Sixers held firm in their own demand for an All-Star-caliber centerpiece and additional assets, and their talks never grew substantive.

When Boston stumbled to 23-24 in January, team personnel only began to consider the possible returns from parting with Brown this offseason, sources said, to better optimize the Celtics' contending window starring Jayson Tatum. The Celtics did not seriously entertain any inquiries for Brown ahead of the February trade deadline, sources said.

There aren't many players Boston would swap Brown for, but the Celtics' franchise has coveted Durant since before his 2006-07 draft year, when they fumbled games in an attempt to land him or Greg Oden that June. Then in 2016, Boston sent a buzzworthy traveling party—featuring Tom Brady—to the Hamptons in an attempt to lure Durant as an unrestricted free agent, before he joined Golden State.

Since their momentous run to the Finals, Celtics figures have spoken of wanting to add to a burgeoning championship core. Boston found additional ball-handling in Malcolm Brogdon, and free-agent acquisition Danilo Gallinari is slated to provide a valuable scoring punch in the second unit. Sam Hauser is expected to play a more significant rotation role as a reserve marksman.

If the Celtics don't land Durant, Boston will still be positioned as one of the favorites to emerge from a competitive Eastern Conference, with a bit of internal housekeeping likely in order.

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

Boston Celtics fans apparently draw the line at Marcus Smart when it comes to any deal for Kevin Durant.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Brooklyn Nets rejected a deal centered around Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Durant. The Nets reportedly want at least Brown and Marcus Smart along with picks and possibly more.

Celtics fans were not happy about it:

Smart is the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season.

The 28-year-old has been named first-team All-Defense three times and has twice won the league's Hustle Award, which helps make him a fan favorite in Boston.

Even with these attributes, Smart is still somewhat limited offensively with a career high of 13.1 points per game in 2020-21. His career 38.2 field-goal percentage and 32.1 three-point percentage also show his inconsistency on that end of the court.

Durant, a 12-time All-Star, two-time Finals MVP and four-time scoring champion, remains an elite offensive weapon at 33, as he averaged 29.9 points per game with a 51.8 field-goal percentage and 38.3 three-point percentage last season.

Even in a relatively down year for him from an efficiency standpoint, he finished 2021-22 with a 4.8 value over replacement player to tie for sixth in the league, per Basketball Reference. That is more than Smart (1.5) and Brown (2.2) combined.

Both Smart (5.6) and Brown (5.8) set career highs in win shares last season, but both fell well short of Durant (8.4), who had his worst mark since 2008-09 with at least 40 games played.

If Durant stays healthy, he is one of the game's best players and someone who can carry a squad to a championship. The offseason addition of Malcolm Brogdon also makes Smart more expendable in Boston.

Of course, the Celtics did just reach the NBA Finals with a team led by Jayson Tatum, Smart and Brown. Fans clearly want to keep the roster intact as they try to get over the top to a title.

Nearly a month after requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant reportedly "has shown no change in his stance," according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Executives across the league reportedly are wondering whether Durant will hold out of training camp if no trade comes, per Charania.

The Boston Celtics have reportedly joined the sweepstakes for the 12-time All-Star, with the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors among the other top teams involved in trade talks.

A trade could still be far off, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting "there are no deals believed to have traction for Durant."

Brooklyn has maintained a lofty asking price for the superstar with four years remaining on his contract, and no other teams have been able to match it to this point.

The question is how much will Durant hold his position if a deal doesn't materialize.

A holdout once training camp starts in September could significantly reduce the Nets' leverage, forcing the team to make a deal to get some return for the former MVP. Rival organizations would know that every missed game reduces his value, similar to what we saw from Ben Simmons.

Conversely, the 33-year-old could start the season with the Nets despite the trade request and wait for a fair deal to form. James Harden would be a fair example in 2020-21 with the Houston Rockets, playing eight games with the team before finally being moved to Brooklyn.

Whoever gets Durant would clearly be expecting to contend for a title and won't want to waste games, but it's clear a trade won't come easy.