NBA rumors: Latest Kevin Durant trade asking price Nets are seeking originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kevin Durant’s trade request was reported almost a month ago, and yet the Brooklyn Nets superstar still hasn’t been dealt.
One of the reasons for that is the large return package the Nets are seeking in any deal involving the future Hall of Fame forward.
What exactly is Brooklyn looking for?
“Brooklyn wants a lot. They don’t just want a star young player, they want all of your picks,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Monday on “SportsCenter”. “They want more, they want a trade package that would be up there with the very deepest in terms of assets that we’ve seen in this modern era.
“And that, right now, is why there’s not a deal, because teams — they’re not bidding against themselves right now. What you’re seeing is teams are not, so far, willing to just gut their rosters for Kevin Durant because as much as they might want (him), they want to believe they can still win a championship and have enough left after doing a trade to acquire him.”
One team that could put together a serious package for Durant is the Boston Celtics. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the C’s offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Durant. Charania also reported the Nets rejected that offer and made a counter.
While the idea of Durant and Jayson Tatum playing together in Boston is intriguing, the Celtics are not a team that needs to make wholesale roster changes.
Remember, this squad was just two wins away from winning the NBA Finals last season, and the C’s made Durant look awful in their first-round sweep of the Nets. Boston made two strong additions already this offseason by trading for guard Malcolm Brogdon and signing forward Danilo Gallinari.
The Celtics, as currently constructed, are already the betting favorites to win next season’s Eastern Conference title and NBA Finals in some places. Blowing up the roster to get Durant, even though he’s still an elite player, would be a genuine risk and could shorten the team’s championship window.