Jaylen Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Reportedly Unwilling To Offer Ingram In Package For Durant

August 16th, 2022 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans are unwilling to include Brandon Ingram in a trade offer for Nets star Kevin Durant, league sources tell Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

New Orleans has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Durant, who is pushing for a trade out of Brooklyn. Building an offer around Ingram would mean offering up a young forward with an All-Star nod on his résumé — the Pelicans would also be able to dip into their draft pick surplus from the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday blockbusters to give the Nets the kind of future assets they’re believed to be seeking.

However, according to Clark, the Pelicans want to see how Ingram and Zion Williamson play together in 2022/23, with Williamson on track to return from a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire ’21/22 season. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported in late July that the Pelicans had yet to put Ingram on the table in trade talks for Durant.

While it’s possible New Orleans will make some minor roster changes before opening night, Clark says not to expect any “earth-shattering” moves, adding that it’s unlikely the club will get seriously involved in the Durant sweepstakes.

In his latest look at the Durant situation, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes that executives around the league view the Celtics as the “unofficial” frontrunners to land the 33-year-old due to their reported willingness to include Jaylen Brown in their offer. However, league sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe the C’s aren’t close to making a deal for Durant and haven’t even really engaged in any “discussions of substance” with the Nets.

Brooklyn could accelerate the process by lowering the asking price for the former MVP, but there’s no indication that will happen anytime soon, if at all.

“(Nets general manager Sean) Marks is still asking for the world; that won’t change,” one front executive told Amick late last week.

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Grimes, Brown, Williams, Maxey

August 13th, 2022 at 8:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

Who’s the best backcourt partner for Jalen Brunson on the current Knicks roster? According to analytics expert Joseph Gill in an interview with SNY TV’s Ian Begley, Quentin Grimes is the best fit alongside the high-priced free agent acquisition. Grimes is a legitimate threat to space the floor and he doesn’t turn the ball over very often. That makes him a better pairing with Brunson’s skill set than Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley, in Gill’s estimation.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

What would a Jaylen Brown extension look like? Keith Smith takes a deep dive into that subject in a Spotrac article. With two years left on his current contract, the Celtics wing is eligible to sign a three-year deal this offseason. He could wait until after next season and sign a Designated Veteran Extension or after the 2023/24 season and ink a Designated Veteran contract if he meets certain criteria. He could also sign with Boston or another team as a free agent in 2024.
Grant Williams has communicated with Brown regarding the trade rumors involving the Nets and Kevin Durant and says Brown is handling it well, Matt John of Heavy.com relays. “I feel like JB is mature in his mindset, and he knows that. I talk to him, texted him, reach out of as often as I can,” Williams said. “It’s one of those things. It’s the league. It’s a business. It’s one of those things that you can’t be discouraged by because we love JB. It also shows how valuable he is.”
Developing even greater offensive chemistry with Joel Embiid and getting selected to the All-Star team would be aspects of a best-case scenario for Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey in 2022/23, Kyle Neubeck of Phillyvoice.com writes. Not living up to increased expectations would be part of a worst-case scenario for Maxey next season.

Kevin Durant Rumors: Ultimatum, Harrington, Nash, Sixers, Celtics

August 10th, 2022 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The ultimatum that Kevin Durant presented to Nets owner Joe Tsai – trade me or fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash – hasn’t had its intended effect so far, Brian Windhorst said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday (video link).

Windhorst suggests that by presenting Tsai with such a “preposterous” alternative to trading him, Durant was hoping to “speed up the process,” since trade talks between the Nets and potential suitors had stagnated in recent weeks. However, the Nets appear to be digging in their heels, while Durant is running out of options.

“He has asked for a trade and it hasn’t been granted. He has asked for the coach and general manager to be fired and that hasn’t been granted,” Windhorst said. “And so now, how do you go forward and report to training camp when you’ve been told no? That’s now the coming drama with this situation.”

Given that multiple reports have indicated no team is willing to meet the Nets’ sky-high asking price for Durant, the 33-year-old’s goal may have been trying to force the team to lower that asking price to a point where a potential trade partner would meet it. But Windhorst points to Tsai’s statement supporting Marks and Nash as a sign the team isn’t willing to reduce its trade demands, at least for now.

“Obviously, the first sentence – where he’s saying he’s not firing his coach and GM – is important,” Windhorst said. “The second sentence was a message to Durant and the whole league, which is, ‘We’re going to do what’s best for the Brooklyn Nets.’

“That is code for, “We’re not going to make a trade just to satisfy this player, no matter how good he is and no matter how much pressure he’s going to put on us. We have all the cards, we have a four-year contract.’ And so I suspect that that will be their position come the start of training camp, and that could lead to Durant not showing up.”

Here’s more on Durant:

A source tells Brian Lewis and Josh Kosman of The New York Post that the Nets’ decision to fire director of player development Adam Harrington this spring without consulting Durant is one source of tension between the player and the team. “There are simple things that erode a relationship,” the source told The Post. “You fired someone he was close to and didn’t have a conversation about it.” The same source suggested that Durant wants Marks to be fired because the star forward feels as if the GM “traded away too many pieces.”
Both The New York Post and Ian Begley of SNY.tv pushed back against the idea that Durant was the one who urged the Nets to hire Nash as its head coach in 2020. Sources told Lewis and Kosman that Marks was the driving force behind that hiring, and Begley has heard the same thing.
According to Begley, there are some “high-ranking” members of the Sixers who have been interested in engaging the Nets in discussions about a Durant trade. A Philadelphia offer would likely have to include Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and draft assets. However, the 76ers’ ability to trade additional first-round picks is limited (they already owe two to Brooklyn), and Harris’ pricey multiyear contract limits his trade value, so it’s unlikely such a package would appeal to the Nets.
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe hears from a source that the Nets “initially tried to pry” both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum from the Celtics for Durant, which Boston obviously had no interest in. The C’s also rebuffed Brooklyn’s attempt to acquire Brown, Marcus Smart, and several first-round picks in exchange for Durant, Himmelsbach adds.
According to Begley, Durant would have interest in playing in Boston, but he’d like to play with Smart if he’s traded to the Celtics. Begley also cites people familiar with the situation who say Durant would view Philadelphia as a “desirable landing spot.”
Celtics president Brad Stevens and head coach Ime Udoka have kept Brown in the loop about the Durant trade conversations, and Brown seems to understand the situation, a league source tells Himmelsbach.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, G. Williams, Durant

August 6th, 2022 at 6:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jayson Tatum spent much of his career hearing from critics who said he and Jaylen Brown could never be an effective combination, but he tells NBC Sports Boston that he and Brown never had any doubts (video link). Responding to a question about how their legacy might look if they both spend their entire careers with the Celtics, Tatum said his focus is more immediate.

“We just try to stay in the moment,” he replied. “It’s not necessarily about our legacy will look like if we did this or that. Just trying to be the best versions of ourselves, the best players that we can be and compete at the highest level. I think we really took those next steps last season. We’ll be the first to tell you that we got more to do, more to accomplish. We’re eager to do so.”

There were frequent calls for Boston to break up its star duo last season before the team began rising up the Eastern Conference standings in January. More recently, Brown was reportedly included in the Celtics’ trade offer to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant, but Tatum would like to see their partnership continue.

“Despite all the people that said we couldn’t play together,” Tatum said, “we always believed that we could.”

There’s more from Boston:

In an interview with Justin Quinn of Celtics Wire, Tatum confirmed the shoulder injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals has healed. “Yeah, it feels a lot better, it got a lot of time to rest that it needed,” Tatum said. “So, it definitely felt a lot better.”
Grant Williams tells Mike Thomas of Sportscasting.com that he prefers to stay in Boston, but there would be a certain honor in being part of a Durant trade. Williams recalls a story from former Celtics executive Danny Ainge about breaking the news to Al Jefferson that he had been sent to the Timberwolves in the Kevin Garnett deal. “If I get involved in the KD trade — I don’t want to leave Boston, I love Boston, it’s one of the places I want to be — but he’s a top-10 player ever,” Williams said. “You can say, ‘Dang, I got traded for Kevin Durant. I was a value add in that trade.’ It’d be cool to say that, but at the same time, I don’t want to go anywhere. I’d rather stay where I’m at.”
The Celtics remain the betting favorite to land Durant, per Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic. OddsChecker lists Boston as -175 to be Durant’s next team in updated odds released on Thursday.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, Ryan, Roster Spots

July 30th, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are among the teams that have made a trade offer for Kevin Durant, but their pursuit of a talent upgrade may put team chemistry at risk. In a brief interview posted by NBC Sports Boston, Jayson Tatum talked about how long it took for the team to come together last season and how fragile chemistry can be.

“Chemistry is half the battle,” he said (video link). “You can have a great team with great talent, and not necessarily jell well together. You guys saw, we figured it out in January and never looked back.”

The Celtics struggled through the first part of last season, but were dominant over the second half on their way to the NBA Finals. They have been able to upgrade their roster so far this offseason by adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari without giving up significant rotation players.

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics need to “tread very carefully” with the idea that they’re willing to trade Jaylen Brown, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon says on Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective (video link). Brown was the most valuable asset in Boston’s reported trade offer, which was turned down by the Nets. MacMahon notes that Brown is underpaid for his production, and the size of his contract doesn’t make an extension worthwhile. MacMahon also warns that Brown will have “several attractive options” when he hits free agency in 2024.
Matt Ryan is coming off a strong Summer League performance, but his options for making the roster are limited now that the Celtics have filled both two-way slots, Brian Robb of MassLive writes in his latest mailbag column. Ryan, who ended last season on a two-way deal, can hope for an Exhibit 10 contract, but Robb notes that he’ll be competing for roster spots with Brodric Thomas, Justin Jackson and whatever free agents the team adds before the start of training camp.
Like many teams, the Celtics are moving slowly in filling out their roster, Robb adds. Boston still has three spots open, and most of the free agents remaining on the market will likely sign veteran’s minimum contracts. Robb suggests Boston might keep a roster spot open past the cutdown date in hopes of landing someone who gets waived by another team.

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Durant, Knicks, Raptors

July 28th, 2022 at 10:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Various members of the NBA world have been weighing in since word spread earlier this week that the Celtics and Nets have been in conversation about a potential trade centered around current Brooklyn All-Star forward Kevin Durant and current Boston star wing Jaylen Brown.

Brown’s All-Star running mate in Boston, Jayson Tatum, shared his two cents on the matter earlier this week, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.

“I played with [Durant] during the Olympics,” Tatum said on Tuesday, attending the premiere of the new Showtime documentary ‘Point Gods.’ Durant, as an executive producer, was also in attendance, but did not discuss his future with assembled media.

“Obviously, he’s a great player, but that’s not my decision,” Tatum continued. “We got two new pieces [in Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari]… I love our team. I just go out there and play with my teammates. I don’t put that [general manager] hat on to make decisions.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The aforementioned notion of the Nets and Celtics swapping Durant, Brown, and additional assets was explored by Jared Weiss, Jay King, and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic in a new roundtable.
The other big lingering line item that persists at this point in the 2022 NBA offseason is the fate of Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. The 6’1″ swingman has long been floated as a possible fit for the Knicks, a star-hungry big market club with the contracts, future draft equity, and intriguing young talent to potentially swing a deal that the Utah front office may value. The Athletic’s Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov experiment with a fascinating exercise by opting to stage a mock draft of New York’s most valuable trade chips, starting with RJ Barrett and the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick.
The Knicks are not the only game in town when it comes to possibly acquiring Mitchell from Utah. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri and his Jazz front office counterpart Danny Ainge may appear at first blush to be particularly abrasive trade partners, doomed to haggle over picks and protections, opines Eric Koreen of The Athletic. However, Koreen notes that, because of the depth of Toronto’s young talent, the teams could wind up being particularly good fits for each other in a Mitchell transaction, provided Ujiri and Ainge can agree on the granular details of such an exchange.

Trade Rumors: Brown, Durant, Smart, G. Williams, Irving

July 27th, 2022 at 9:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown is the best individual talent the Nets could hope to get in a Kevin Durant trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says in a discussion with Jared Weiss of The Athletic. News that Boston made an offer to Brooklyn that included Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick shook up the rumor mill on Monday, about a month after Durant made his trade request.

Brown is a potential All-Star over the next few seasons, Scotto adds, and could become a cornerstone for the Nets long after Durant has retired. White, meanwhile, is easier to part with after the Celtics acquired Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers.

Scotto also notes that there’s an element of risk with Durant, who will turn 34 in September and has been through two significant injuries. He adds that some teams are starting to question the value of paying exorbitant salaries to stars in their 30s, and the four years remaining on Durant’s contract might not be universally seen as something positive.

Scotto and Weiss address trade rumors involving a few more players:

Replacing White with Marcus Smart might make the Nets more willing to take the Celtics’ offer, even if it means getting fewer draft picks. Sources tell Scotto that Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks has been an admirer of Smart for years and would love the chance to add him to Brooklyn’s roster. Weiss questions whether the Celtics can afford to give up the fiery guard, who represents a large part of the team’s defensive identity, and said he’s probably worth more to Boston than he would be to just about anyone else.
The Celtics are interested in an extension for Grant Williams, but they may hold off to see if he’s needed in a Durant deal, according to Weiss. Another factor, Weiss adds, is how high Boston is willing to go on a raise for Williams considering the expected rise in the salary cap.
Scotto is among the observers who believe the Nets would prefer to hold onto Durant and Kyrie Irving and see how the season plays out, which is part of the reason they’re keeping the price for Durant so high. With a healthy Ben Simmons and Joe Harris, plus a full season of Seth Curry and the addition of T.J. Warren, the Nets might be in a position to contend as long as Durant and Irving are still around. Weiss supports Brooklyn trading Irving for Russell Westbrook, but only if the Lakers include two first-round picks in the deal.

Celtics Rumors: Brown, Durant, Trade Talks

July 26th, 2022 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was “perplexed” by a recent report claiming he doesn’t intend to re-sign in Boston when his current contract expires in 2024, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who hears from sources that Brown denied that report behind closed doors.

As Weiss observes, Brown is unlikely to sign a contract extension anytime soon, but that’s because his maximum earnings in an extension would fall far short of what he could earn if he reaches free agency and signs a new deal at that time.

Brown’s name has once again popped up in trade rumors this offseason, as it did in 2018 when San Antonio was shopping Kawhi Leonard and in 2019 when New Orleans was shopping Anthony Davis. However, despite those rumors, Brown wants to remain in Boston, Weiss writes.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Although Brown’s name came up in past trade rumors involving star players, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says the Celtics never actually made the former No. 3 pick available when Leonard was on the block in 2018 and only internally discussed the possibility of offering Brown in 2019 after Davis requested a trade. The Celtics began to consider what they could get for Brown this January, following a 23-24 start, but didn’t seriously entertain the idea of moving him at the deadline, Fischer adds. In other words, the Kevin Durant talks represent the first time the club has seriously mulled moving Brown.
Within the same Bleacher Report story, Fischer says the Celtics’ most serious discussions with the Nets about Durant happened at the start of July, noting that those talks were considered to be part of Brooklyn’s “first stage of continuing negotiations.” Most trade negotiations around the NBA “have come to a momentary lull” since Summer League ended, according to Fischer.
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe each broke down the rumors linking Durant to Boston, exploring whether it makes sense for the Celtics to make a strong push for the star forward and evaluating what they should be willing to give up. Washburn argues that the C’s should stand pat and hang onto Brown, while O’Connor says he’d probably be willing to give up both Brown and Marcus Smart in order to land Durant.
Washburn, like Weiss, hears that Brown is “invested” in Boston and wants to be part of the Celtics’ future.

Trade Rumors: Brown, Nets, Durant, Celtics, Lakers, Turner

July 25th, 2022 at 7:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaylen Brown‘s name suddenly popped up in trade rumors as the centerpiece of a proposed deal for the Nets’ Kevin Durant. The Celtics wing offered a three-letter response of “smh” (shaking my head) on Twitter.

Quoting a source, longtime Celtics beat writer Mark Murphy (Twitter link) reports that Brown “loves it in Boston. He was two games away from a championship. He’s happy and looking forward to coming back. … Like (previous trade rumors involving) Kawhi (Leonard), AD (Anthony Davis) and others on that level, he’s going to be included in every report because of who he is.”

We have more trade chatter to pass along:

It’s unlikely the Nets would actually deal away Durant to the Celtics for another reason, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets — they’d prefer not to trade him to a chief rival.
While the news of the Celtics’ interest in Durant seems like a new development, they’ve actually been involved in trade talks for a while, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marottaon (hat tip to Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports). “I know that (reports of Boston’s interest) came out today so it’s front of mind, but from what I understand those are not fresh talks,” Windhorst said, adding that he doesn’t think the Nets are actively engaged in Durant negotiations at the moment.
While the Lakers’ interest in Pacers center Myles Turner is genuine, they’re reluctant to sacrifice an unprotected first-rounder for him, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack mailbag post. Turner is in his walk year and could leave the Lakers after one season in free agency next summer, barring an extension.

Celtics Emerge As Serious Kevin Durant Suitor

July 25th, 2022 at 6:26am CST by Luke Adams

6:26am: The Celtics offered Brown, White, and a draft pick to the Nets in exchange for Durant, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Brooklyn turned down that offer and countered by asking for Brown, Marcus Smart, multiple draft picks, and possibly one additional rotation player.

The Celtics aren’t currently inclined to include Smart along with multiple other picks or players, but they’re considering their next move in the negotiations, according to Charania, who suggests that Boston has emerged as a “serious” potential landing spot for Durant. No deal is imminent, but the C’s view Durant as a player who could be the missing piece as they pursue a title, Charania writes.

Charania also reports that the Suns “appear to be all but eliminated” from the Durant sweepstakes with Deandre Ayton back under contract and ineligible to be traded.

5:58am: The Celtics are among the teams engaged in discussions with the Nets about a possible Kevin Durant trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who hears that Boston has been in “regular contact” with Brooklyn.

It doesn’t appear the two sides have made any significant progress toward a deal, however, with Wojnarowski reporting that Boston isn’t any closer to acquiring Durant than a handful of his other suitors are. However, Woj says that the Celtics’ ability to include Jaylen Brown as a centerpiece in an offer makes the club “formidable in its pursuit.”

The Celtics view All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum as off-limits in any hypothetical Durant deal, per Wojnarowski. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, that leaves just seven contracts that Boston could trade without restrictions, led by Brown.

Wojnarowski suggests that a Celtics offer could theoretically include Brown and up to three first-round picks (2025, 2027, and 2029), as well as pick swaps in 2024 and 2026.

Because Brown is earning approximately $28.7MM in 2022/23 while Durant is making $44.1MM, the Celtics would have to include about $6.5MM in additional salary in order to meet the NBA’s salary-matching requirements.

Al Horford ($26.5MM), Marcus Smart ($17.2MM), Derrick White ($16.9MM), Robert Williams ($10.9MM), Grant Williams ($4.3MM), and Payton Pritchard ($2.2MM) are Boston’s other movable players, Marks notes. All are expected to be part of the team’s regular rotation in 2022/23.

While Durant hasn’t backed off his request to be traded out of Brooklyn, there’s a sense that the Nets also haven’t gained any real traction in any of their trade talks involving the former MVP, says Wojnarowski. The club continues to seek a return that includes “impactful” players, along with multiple unprotected first-round picks and swaps, sources tell ESPN.

The Raptors, Heat, and Suns are among the other teams believed to have interest in Durant, Wojnarowski writes. The 33-year-old has reportedly identified Miami and Phoenix of two of his preferred landing spots.

It’s unclear how Durant would feel about landing in Boston, but since he has four years remaining on his contract, a team trading for him wouldn’t have to worry about him leaving as a free agent in a year or two.