The Kevin Durant saga continues to drag on as the NBA season inches closer. One team that continually sees its name connected in trade rumors is the Boston Celtics. Shams Charania of The Athletic gave a recent update on the behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Nets and a variety of teams. As he put it surrounding the Celtics:

“Among the interested teams, the Celtics have been viewed across the league as the clear-cut answer as the team that has the ingredients to make a deal with Brooklyn happen. For now, Boston has not included guard Marcus Smart or center Robert Williams in a proposal, sources said. The Celtics have up to three first-round picks available to trade to Brooklyn. When Brooklyn rejected Boston’s offer last month, the Nets countered by requesting Brown, Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player, according to sources.”

The Celtics seem to have the pieces in place to be able to pull off the trade but it is unclear if they are willing to pull the trigger. It is a more difficult decision than it may seem for the franchise. The Celtics made it to the Finals last season with their current core and have the framework for long-term success in place. Their current foundation built around Jayson Tatum (24) and Jaylen Brown (25) still has plenty of time to develop and improve. Shipping off Brown in addition to the collection of players that it would take to get the deal done would empty the franchise’s assets in a major way and shorten their championship window.

However, it would come with the prize of adding Kevin Durant who is arguably the best player to ever be traded. A duo of Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum would have lethal scoring potential and the top-end talent that a championship team requires. The looming start of the NBA season could potentially serve as a catalyst for a trade occurring especially if Durant is as dead-set on being traded as it has been reported.

It is clear the Nets are unwilling to lower the high price they are demanding for the superstar and the Celtics must step up to the plate if they are to land him. While Boston has been considered the favorite to land the former MVP by many media members they are not the only team attempting to reach a deal with the Nets. For now, it appears the unwillingness to include Marcus Smart and Robert Williams as well as potential disagreements in the draft compensation are the holdup. Whether or not his will change is still to be determined.