A Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown swap has been rumored throughout the 2022 offseason, yet an anonymous NBA exec believes Brown is more than happy to stay put in Boston.
Per Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports, the source in question made it clear that Brown is “all-in on Boston.”
“From everything I've been told, Jaylen's a loyal guy,” the exec said. “I think he wants to be there.”
While some Tweets from the Celtics star might say otherwise — like when he posted “Smh” during the supposed height of the Durant trade talks — this source maintains that both Brown and Boston are committed to one another.
“I think [the Celtics] know what they have in Jaylen — now and for the future — and they want to keep that going,” the source stated.
Even though missing out on a generational scorer in Durant might rub a few fans the wrong way, there are plenty of ways to justify the Celtics sticking with the group they have. So, here are three reasons why Boston would have no issue staying put with Brown and dodging a Kevin Durant trade.
3) JB's development
At 25 years old, Brown ideally has a lot of time left to play in the league, while the 33-year-old Durant is out of his prime. Although Durant is still a top talent who averaged 29.9 points per game last year, the simple fact is that he is on his way out and Brown is on his way in.
Brown's game isn't perfect, as his handle needs work and he occasionally suffers from a turnover problem. Yet, these aren't unfixable things, and the former All-Star has shown that he can grow his game extensively. Coming out of college, there were worries that he didn't have a strong outside shot, as he shot a dismal 29% from deep. Every year in Boston he's exceeded that three-point percentage, proving that he is not a stagnant player.
With Brown's youth and ability to improve, the Celtics would be taking a massive gamble in trading away a young star for an older talent who has a tendency to leave in free agency.
2) JB's mentality
If the anonymous source told us anything, it's that despite all the rumors and distractions, Brown wants to be a Celtic. That mentality alone is worth something and should help Boston keep him around, as such loyalty is hard to come by in today's NBA.
Moreover, these rumors should only fuel Brown's hunger to play better. Early in the 2021-2022 season when Boston was below .500 and struggling immensely, many were calling for the Celtics to blow it up and trade Brown. Instead of letting this get to his head, he rallied with fellow star Jayson Tatum and the rest of the C's to resurrect the season and make it all the way to the NBA Finals. Or as he would say, he shifted the energy:
The energy is about to shift
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) January 31, 2022
Where other players would give up, Brown didn't. And to take Durant for an example, he's searching for a trade after a disastrous season with the Brooklyn Nets instead of looking to run it back and help recuperate. Clearly, Brown's drive is something the Celtics should value.
1) Getting Durant comes at a high price
Quite simply, the Nets want it all for Durant. Since he's under contract, Brooklyn can ask for a lot in return for the 12-time All-Star, and that's probably too much for most teams. The fact that Brooklyn was initially asking for both Tatum and Brown in a trade should be enough to scare any general manager away.
After a successful 2021-2022 season and an impactful offseason, Boston should be content in its current state. In their run to the NBA Finals, this team showed that it could get it done, and acquiring Durant will mean the dismantling of that core. And it's not like the Celtics didn't improve this summer, as the additions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari are significant moves.
Overall, the youth of Boston right now offers a bright future, but bringing in Durant might put that all at risk. While KD could provide a “win now” look to the Celtics, what Brown, Tatum, and company nearly pulled off last year proves they are capable of winning now, too.
Follow Us
Subscribe