David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Brad Stevens on Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors: 'Since the Brogdon trade, we felt really good about our team'
Finally, there is a resolution to Kevin Durant's trade demand. He and Kyrie Irving will return for another season in Brooklyn, which has long seemed like the most likely outcome to this saga.
It's also best for both sides and makes the Nets championship contenders. FanDuel Sportsbook now gives them the third-best odds of capturing the 2022-23 NBA title. They list the Celtics, who upgraded their supporting cast by adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari without subtracting any mainstays from their playoff rotation, as the betting favorite to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season.
Still, the franchise understood that if the persisting rumors about a potential deal for Durant were left unchecked, it could create division between Brown and the organization.
In an appearance on Merloni, Fauria and Mego on WEEI's Jimmy Fund Radiothon, Brad Stevens stated the team has communicated with Brown throughout the summer as the drama surrounding Durant unfolded.
"Of course," the Celtics' president of basketball operations said about staying in contact with their leading scorer in the NBA Finals. "Jaylen’s been through this from the standpoint of listening and the noise has been around him for a long time, big names over the years.
"I think one of the things you have to be able to do is ignore the noise and know what’s important. Also, be able to reach out and have candid and transparent communications with the people involved. We’ve had those and been very open from the get-go as all of this has been going on for any of our guys. I sat down with Jaylen last week in LA. He looked great, and he will be back to Boston soon."
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this summer, a league executive conveyed the following about Brown and the Celtics' relationship to Heavy's Steve Bulpett.
"I think he wants to be there. And any problems that could ever happen with that relationship would probably have to come from him getting the idea that they’re not in on him. And right now, I don’t see that from the Celtics. I think they know what they have in Jaylen — now and for the future — and they want to keep that going."
Stevens put his weight behind that statement, telling hosts Christian Fauria, Meghan Ottolini, and Andy Hart, who was filling in for Lou Merloni: "Since the Brogdon trade, we felt really good about our team, and we felt really good about building around these guys that we’ve been building around, trying to accentuate our best players."
He went on to say: "We’re excited to move forward with our team, and that’s really been our focus for a while. You say it’s been busy, and there’s been a lot of talk, but it hasn’t been from me. Hopefully, it gave everyone something to talk about; it’s been pretty quiet on our front for a while now."
Further Reading
Kevin Durant Returning to Nets, Officially Putting Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors to Rest
Denzel Valentine Joins the Open Competition for Spot at Back End of Celtics Roster
[Watch] Jaylen Brown Pushes Himself to the Limit in Offseason Workout
[Video] Jayson Tatum Shows Out at CrawsOver Pro-Am
Here's What Stands Out About the Celtics' Schedule
How Much of a Rest Advantage Do the Celtics Have This Season?
