The Celtics don’t have Kevin Durant on their roster. They’re already the favorite to win the NBA title next season, according to the Las Vegas bookmakers.
So should Boston trade Jaylen Brown and other players and assets for KD and become the prohibitive favorite for the championship?
Brown is the best player that any potential suitor is reportedly willing to give up to the Nets to make an all-out bid for glory. Brown, who is still under contract for multiple seasons, averaged 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 3.5 APG last season and, at 25, is just entering his prime.
The Celtics seemingly addressed their biggest need this summer with the acquisition of Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Boston didn’t have to surrender any significant rotation players in the process. The team also improved its forward depth by adding veteran Danilo Gallinari.
Let’s look at the flip side. If Jayson Tatum and Brown seem like an imposing duo, just imagine what Tatum and Durant could do alongside each other once they work out chemistry issues. KD may be 34 and moody but he’s as good as ever — he averaged just a shade under 30 PPG and a career-best 6.4 APG last season.
He’s got plenty left in the tank and the four-year contract extension he signed erases any possibility of him leaving after a year or two as a free agent, though there’s always the concern that he could request another trade.
That brings us to our question of the day: Should the Celtics give up Jaylen Brown and other significant players and assets to acquire Kevin Durant? Or should they keep Brown and take their chances at a championship run with the group they already have?
Please take to the comments section to address this topic. We look forward to your input.
No, they shouldn’t.
With all due respect to KD, he’s 34 and with injured history. Brown is a great young player entering his prime, I don’t know if I would even trade him straight for Durant.
The Celtics were 2 games away from championship – they got better with Brogdon and Gallinari – With this roster they can run it at least 4-5 years and with Tatum and Brown probably 10 years, with KD they have maybe 2 years of a run – so IMO they don’t need Kevin.
Agreed
I agree. KD is still a monster player if healthy, but has played in 90 out of 226 regular season games in the last three seasons. The risk is just to high in my opinion.
Of course, if Brown has announced internally that he wants to be traded or otherwise leaves the Celtics as a free agent in two years, the situation is different. But I haven’t heard anything like that.
I think the Celtics are just fine as is. The only way this is justifiable is if they don’t give up more than one or two rotation players besides Brown in a deal. Smart has to be off-limits, and I don’t like the idea of the Celtics trading away Horford or Robert Williams. A potential package could look like Brown, White, Grant Williams and a couple picks. If they have to trade more than that it’s not worth it. And besides, Brown’s younger. NINE YEARS younger. I get it, Durant is better right now, but who’s the better player in 3. 4 years? Having two all-star players in their mid-20s and a trip to the NBA Finals is any team’s dream. They don’t need to get greedy. They have what it takes to win a championship.
Maybe the Celtics feel like Browns not a lock to resign in 2 years. If that’s their view, it makes sense to include him. Otherwise, you keep him.
At least 3 times in the past few years his name has been floated when a Grade A Star is available for trade. Why would he want to stay? I always thought it is a cliché when athletes sign with new teams and say that they finally feel wanted. Brown may be in that mindset as BOS does not think that he will be Grade A or they can win a championship with him.
“as BOS does not think that he will be Grade A or they can win a championship with him.”
Wow, you really have some inside info. How do you know that? This must be Brad Stevens burner accxount.
Clearly they can win with him. They were two wins short last year and just added Brogdon and Gallinari. And Jaylen Brown fits with the team’s culture, is one of the faces of the franchise, and this is Brown’s best chance to win. It doesn’t make sense for either team to move on.
Keep Jalen and try this year with their new additions of Brogdon and Gallinari.
Yes, Celtics are already a better team than Warriors.
None of 6 Warriors picks from last 3 years is ready.
Warriors have 8 players
Curry Klay Draymond
Wiggins Looney
the bench is not good enough
Poole
Donte
J Green
You don’t really need anymore than 8 guys to win a championship.
Celtics add
Malcolm Brogdon and Gallo
76ers add
Melton and Tucker
Brogdon > Melton
Gallo > Tucker
Celtics are clearly favorite to win the East
Bucks and Heat did nothing so far
Celtics don’t want other team to acquire Durant
Smelling salts aren’t working.
Based on the role Tucker will play versus Gallinari’s, Tucker is much more valuable.
Gallo: Good shooting, bad defense
Tucker: Bad shooting, best defensive player on the team
Celts already have a lot of shooters. Gallinari gives them essentially a depth piece and an upgrade over Theis. I think the Celts would take Tucker over Gallo in a heartbeat.
Not sure why you brought up Tucker wrt the Celtics, since he signed with the 76ers, but he shot 48.4% overall and 41.5% 3 pt FG% last season. A full 5%/3% better than Gallinari.
Gallo shoots about 2x more shots than PJ so he is more of a threat on Off than PJ.
Are you just trolling? Gallo is a far superior offensive player to Tucker.
@ Buckman:
Not true. Last season, Gallo put up 9 FGA/gm, PJ 6.
I didn’t bring him up, @Sillivan said that Gallinari was better than Tucker so I’m proving my point the other way around. What I meant was that he doesn’t really bring shooting to the team – he averaged 3 less FGA per game than Gallo – but his value as a defensive player is something you can’t pass up.
Tucker is purely a spot up shooter. He can’t create his own shot.
The fact people on here are saying Tucker is better on offense then Gallinari is kinda frightening. Grant Williams shot 41 percent from three last year. He, like Tucker can hit an open 3. And that’s it.
No one said that Tucker was a better offensive player than Gallinari, just that he’s not a BAD offensive player.
Lol, championship teams are better than finals losers.
Not according to Grant Williams
@Stonkzilla:
The guy who ran his mouth put up 4.2 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.0 apg 0.7 TOpg and a +/- of -9.2.
The Celtics’ supposed “best defense in the league” held Steph to 31.2 ppg on 48%/44% shooting with 6 rpg 5 apg 2 spg +5.5
I don’t see how adding Brogdon and Gallinari changes that. Or Trading for KD either.
Curry isn’t stoppable. Period.
Moody would be starting for half the teams in the league. Wiseman is healthy. Kuminga would start for most of the non-playoff teams. Reason they can’t start is the GSW have a 5 starters back from last year.
absolutely not!
Been a Warriors fan for 58 years. The best team by far was their 2017 team w/ KD. THAT being said, there Always was drama each and every offseason re: his seemingly never-ending two-year contracts with the player option on that second year. Thankfully, Bob Myers sees no need to reunite with Durant: moving onward with what they have. Boston shouldn’t, either.
PS: besides, we just won our fourth title in eight years! Why upset the applecart with his moody behavior? So, Celtics, beware of what you/your fanbase wishes for!…
Just make the trade and get it over with
I think even if a KD to Celtics is made. The Bucks are the better team in a series when healthy. I also don’t like KD defensively especially if you pair him with Brogdon down the stretch
Celts are fine as is and have their two stars. There’s a 9 year gap between Durant and Brown and not sure if immediate success (assuming it goes well) outweighs a long dynasty. Warriors had Curry and Thompson with Green as their Smart. A couple of plug-ins here and there over the next 10 years and I think the Celts will be viable for years provided no major injuries occur.
Brown only under contract 2 years. What you mean long dynasty?
Re-sign. Max contract. Winning. I’d say chances of him staying would be pretty, pretty good.
Boston is racist. Brown is an activist. Kanye West is his agent. Kyrie is on his team. He is better than Tatum. Tatum gets more credit. I’d say chances of him resigning are pretty bad.
You can’t trade a longer future with more and less expensive options,for a shorter future with next to no real options for K.D. or anyone else of note.
It’s as good as a reverse mortgage for anyone picking up K.D. You get the money up front now and other things, just to regret doing it later.
Can you guarantee that longer future? How do you figure it’s less expensive(the future?) Brown will be looking at 46 million or more a year in 2 years. That’s if he stays in Boston.
Does anyone say “ man the celtics have been to the conference finals 6 or so times in the last 14 years” Nope. They just say Boston hasn’t won a title since 08.
These guys are acting like it’s a given that all their players will re-sign for another decade, when they have only re-sign rookie extentions. If he wasn’t thinking about jetting before he is now, but then looking to trade him for KD probably means they know Brown is looking to leave in two years when his contract is up. He gets so disrespected there, and their play was great for half of last year, but the year before they were awful and when times get tough they all start throwing each other under the buss. Celtics fans give delusional a whole next level of significance.
Yes I can. You tie up to much today and are in a shotgun win the championship this year or the trade failed scenario in the publics eye.
What Brown may make in 2 years will not matter.
So sick of Durant and his never ending soap opera.
I grew up on 90’s NBA where players actually took pride in the name on the front of the jersey. Now it means nothing to the majority of these players. It’s getting to the point where we may never see a genuine rivalry ever again. These younger fans may never even be to experience a real rivalry. It’s a shame. I’m glad the trade market is giving Durant a reality check right now.
Times have changed where star players no longer have loyalty to poorly ran organizations that are perennial cellar dwellers with enept front offices and often clueless and cheap owners.Couple that with teams not having loyalty to players and you have what we have.
Getting KD is a no brainer for BOS, so not getting him is a really dumb move!
KD is not worth what the Nets are asking. Don’t gut your team’s future. He was shut down by the Celtics in the Playoffs. Let him pout and not report. His loss! He will ruin what little legacy he has. The NBA should not have team lead by players in the All-Star game either.
Keep Brown, trade Tatum. Brown’s a better fit and showed out during the finals when Tatum vanished. Obviously the nets would have to unload Simmons for that to happen, but I don’t think that would be a major roadblock. Plus, it’ll cost the C’s less assets if they do JT instead of JB
At this point Tatum is more valuable that Durant – he’s almost as good, nowhere near as injury-prone and just 25.
And Brown is stronger than both of them mentally. Keeping brown is the better long term decision
That doesn’t mean you need to trade Tatum though. Keeping them both is the BEST long-term decision.
If BOS can get KD and only give up Brown, backups and draft picks, YES they should do it.
Tatum and Brown are two terrific players in their early primes. But they are not an imposing duo on the court together late in games – which is when championships are won or lost. In fact, they’re a surprisingly (almost shockingly) feeble duo in those spots. Tatum’s issues in late game situations might be more about mindset than skill set; Brown’s appear to be more about skill set. Nevertheless, if they don’t significantly improve as a 1-2 punch at the end of games I doubt they get back to the Finals, and would be shocked if they won them.
KD, even if he’s no longer a top 5 overall player in the league as most believe, is still the best half court option in the league in high beta situations. He would turn BOS’s biggest weakness into a strength.
Absolutely NOT, the Celts with Brown on board are as good as they can be, especially after the acquisition of Brogdan and Gallo.The worst enemy of good is better!