NBA Rumors: Insider Reveals Trade Package the Celtics Offered for Kevin Durant
Since the offseason began, NBA junkies have been treated to some juicy Monday morning columns from The Athletic's Shams Charania. Charania renewed the tradition this week by reporting that the Boston Celtics made a trade offer for Nets superstar Kevin Durant.
Charania reported that the Celtics offered a trade package centered around star forward Jaylen Brown in exchange for Kevin Durant, who requested a trade from Brooklyn on July 1.
"The Celtics offered Brown, guard Derrick White and a draft pick to the Nets for Durant, sources said. The proposal was rejected, and Brooklyn has asked Boston — in any proposal — to include Brown, Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player, those sources added."
It's a somewhat shocking development since the Celtics made the NBA Finals this season and came within two wins of capturing their 18th championship. Brown led the team in scoring in the Finals (23.5 PPG) as All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum struggled to find his form - 21.5 PPG on 36.7% shooting.
Losing Brown, Smart, and White would diminish Boston's depth that powered them to a Finals, but pairing Durant with Tatum would give the Celtics the best one-two scoring punch in the league, without question.
Charania affirmed that although there's plenty of work to be done on a Brown-Durant deal, insiders believe the Celtics are a "serious possibility to land the Nets 10-time All-NBA forward.
"As of right now, the Celtics have emerged as a serious possibility as a landing spot for Durant. They have tremendous interest in bringing him in and view him as a piece that could take them over that final hurdle. Although there is work to be done, there is a deal to be had that would suffice the Nets’ overwhelming ask."
How a Durant-Boston Deal Impacts the Lakers
If the Nets do trade Durant in the coming weeks, it could spark the Lakers into reengaging Brooklyn about a potential Kyrie Irving trade. Talks between the Lakers and Nets have stagnated in recent weeks, with reports citing Brooklyn's desire to resolve the Kevin Durant situation before re-visiting trade possibilities for Kyrie.
The Lakers trading for Kyrie could also have an affect on whether or not LeBron is willing to sign the contract extension he's eligible for on August 4th.
The next couple weeks, could be very, very interesting, for the Lakers, the Nets, the Celtics, and the rest of the NBA.
