How will Kevin Durant’s decision to remain with the Nets impact the Celtics and the rets of the Eastern Conference? Cedric Maxwell shares his thoughts on Early Edition
If you believe the Boston Celtics were better off not trading for Kevin Durant this offseason, you're on the same page as Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors star watched along with the rest of us as his former teammate requested a trade from the Nets and spent nearly two months trying to get out of Brooklyn before agreeing to stay with the team in late August.
The Boston Celtics reportedly were among Durant's top suitors, based mostly on the fact that they had the strongest trade package -- centered around talented wing Jaylen Brown -- to offer Brooklyn.
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But while Durant is a generational talent, would it have been worth it for Boston to break up a talented core that came within two victories of an NBA championship against Curry's Warriors?
Rolling Stone's Matt Sullivan shadowed Curry last month as part of a feature for the magazine and witnessed Curry discuss Durant's trade market with rapper/entertainer Snoop Dogg, of all people. Sullivan relayed what Curry told Snoop about the possibility of Durant landing in Boston:
"Of the Boston Celtics, (Curry) said, ‘They have a little bit of everything, but they would have to deal with the organizational transition to get rid of Jaylen (Brown). He’s such a pivotal piece… If they would have done that -- ' Curry broke apart his fingertips in an explosion, and agreed with Snoop that Durant was better off staying with the Nets."
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Curry also suggested that Durant had "unrealistic expectations that his preferred destinations would retain superstar rosters" despite the Nets' incredibly high asking price for KD.
Curry proved to be prescient with this take, as no team was willing to meet Brooklyn's demands for Durant. As Curry pointed out, Brown played a crucial role in the Celtics' run to the 2022 NBA Finals, and trading him for a 33-year-old veteran -- even if it's Kevin Durant -- could have disrupted the chemistry of a young, talented team that seems poised for another deep playoff run in 2022-23.
Perhaps Durant could have gotten the Celtics over the hump en route to their 18th championship. Or perhaps he could have reunited with Curry in Golden State. (Curry emphatically confirmed that he and the Warriors were open to bringing Durant back.)
But the end result of Durant staying in Brooklyn and Brown staying in Boston may be the best result.