A potential trade sending Kevin Durant to the Boston Celtics has been rumored for years now, but it’ll likely remain a fantasy. Ahead of the February 9th trade deadline, there were reports of the reigning Eastern Conference champions showing interest in Durant, yet those talks have been dismissed by many.

Boston was checking on Durant’s availability more out of responsibility than a genuine belief that they could acquire the future Hall-of-Famer, according to an anonymous league source who spoke to Keith Smith of CelticsBlog.

“We know [Durant and Boston] talked over the summer,” the source said. “But that’s a huge deal to make in-season. I’m not sure Brad [Stevens] would want to disrupt things that much. But it’s Kevin Durant. You have to at least make the call.”

A deal involving Durant would be very difficult to maneuver for Boston. He’s on a long-term deal with the Brooklyn Nets, meaning the C’s would hold little bargaining power.

Plus, the Celtics find themselves atop the Eastern Conference with a 38-16 record, so they’re not desperate to make a franchise-altering move. The All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has helped the team get to this point, and bringing Durant to Beantown would probably involve packaging one of their homegrown talents.

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To attempt such a drastic deal would not just be surprising, but “foolish” according to former NBA player turned ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.

In reality, the Nets likely won’t make another major spash at the deadline after trading away star point guard Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn’s front office is discussing the franchise’s future with Durant, but not actively shopping him to other teams.

With less than two days until the time the trade deadline expires, it seems unlikely any Durant deal gets done unless he specifically requests one.