[New post] As Kevin Durant Trade Speculation Drags On Celtics Should Stay the Course With Core
Red posted: " So I started writing this blog a couple of weeks back when the Kevin Durant trade request originally came out and then never finished it because I've gotten this far in life by procrastinating everything so why stop now? It sort of seemed like any in" The 300s
So I started writing this blog a couple of weeks back when the Kevin Durant trade request originally came out and then never finished it because I've gotten this far in life by procrastinating everything so why stop now? It sort of seemed like any interest the Celtics may have had in the Slim Reaper evaporated once they started bolstering the current roster with legit rotation guys like Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. These are the exact kind of moves that seemingly fill the holes that the 2021-22 team had. But then a late night Woj bomb said the C's were still in on KD. In retrospect it looks like Woj and/or Shams may have been doing the bidding of Nets GM Sean Marks looking to drum up a better return, who 4 weeks after the initial trade request has "failed" to find a new home for Durant. Whether that's by design or not is debatable because it's impossible to get equal value for a player like Durant. The Jazz getting FOUR first rounders for Rudy Gobert didn't do teams hoping to lowball the Nets any favors either. Hence, the trade speculation continuing into its third month which is unheard of in today's NBA.
Either way the question will not go away as there have been reports of specific trade offers the Celtics have made to Brooklyn as well as counter offers by the Nets. (Tatum completely sidestepped the question when asked if he wants the team to keep Brown or go after Durant so that must be confidence inspiring for Jaylen.) My original point remains though, the Celtics need to stay the course rather than blow up their core to bring in Kevin Durant, who is without a doubt an all-time talent, but will also be 34 when the season starts with a significant injury history. As tempting as it is to chase the dragon here after years of the Celtics promising fireworks (and Kevin Durant is the Drogon of NBA trade bait), if I'm the Celtics I am standing pat.
The Celtics literally just got to the NBA Finals and lost to a once in a generation type dynasty. Disappointing, but hardly a reason to blow up your team after losing to a team that has won four of the last 8 NBA championships. If I could get Durant without giving up Tatum or Brown then yes absolutely 100%, but that's only happening in NBA2K after you turn off the fair trade feature.
The Nets super team experiment clearly has imploded with some going so far as to call it "the biggest disappointment in NBA history." I'm not ready to give it that lofty title quite yet, but it is the kind of calamity that people will write books about. After Kyrie hemmed and hawed about whether he even wanted to come back to Brooklyn (all while trying to secure that max deal from the very same employer), he finally decided to opt in for the last year of his deal. Not long after Kyrie hit send on the tweet, Kevin Durant decided he'd had enough of the clown show and wants off the ride.
While the internet mockery of the Nets has died down in recent weeks, it still seems like just a matter of time until Durant is dealt. With a young team on the verge of a title and having just brought in key reinforcements, I hope Brad Stevens doesn't try to move up the timeline and make a trade that could derail the whole thing.
PS - With all that being said, it would be high value entertainment if the Celtics were to trade for Durant and win a championship at the expense of another Brooklyn trade. Brooklyn fans would be screaming at their TVs like Obi-Wan on Mustafar.
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