A new team has entered the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
In the early hours of Monday, July 25, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the Celtics have "emerged among teams engaged in talks" on a potential deal for Durant, who has requested a trade from the Nets. A few hours later, The Athletic's Shams Charania took it a step further, adding that the Celtics actually made an offer for the 12-time All-Star that the Nets turned down.
The offer? Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick. The Nets reportedly rejected the proposal and countered by asking for Marcus Smart, draft picks and "potentially one more rotation player" in addition to Brown.
Whether or not a deal between the Celtics and Nets will eventually get done, we'll have to wait and see, but it appears as though Brown caught wind of the report and, well, isn't too happy about it.
Jaylen Brown tweets response to Kevin Durant trade rumors
Brown, barely a month removed from starring as arguably Boston's best player in the NBA Finals loss to the Warriors, is understandably miffed at suddenly finding himself in trade talks, regardless of how serious they end up being.
The Celtics star tweeted "Smh" the morning of the reports, meaning "shaking my head."
MORE: 3 lessons Nets should learn before trading KD and Kyrie
Smh
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 25, 2022
Brown is a big part of Boston's present and future. He earned the first All-Star selection of his career in 2020-21 and helped the Celtics make the Finals in 2021-22.
Durant is entering his mid-30s, but he's still in the conversation for best player in the NBA. He's coming off of a season in which he posted 29.9 points per game, the third-most in his career. He also averaged a career-best 6.4 assists to go along with 7.4 rebounds.
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According to Charania, no trade between Boston and Brooklyn is imminent and there is still work to be done, but there "is a deal to be had that would suffice the Nets' overwhelming ask" for Durant. The Celtics are said to be "keen on ensuring the franchise can remain a championship contender for years to come," which keeping Brown would allow them to do, but they have "tremendous interest" in bringing Durant in and view him as "a piece that could take them over that final hurdle."
Jaylen Brown contract details
Brown turns 26 years old in October and has two seasons remaining on his current contract, setting him up to be an unrestricted free agent following the 2023-24 season. He's halfway through a four-year, $106 million deal that went into effect prior to the 2020-21 season.
Brown is scheduled to make $26.7 million this upcoming season and $28.5 million in 2023-24. He has contract incentives based on games played, All-Star games, playoff performances and All-NBA honors that could be worth an additional three million dollars per season.
One consideration is that Brown — while eight years younger than Durant — is only under contract for two more years whereas Durant is signed through the 2025-26 season. It's far too early and speculative to say for certain, but if Boston is at all worried about Brown re-signing when his current deal expires, moving now for Durant could on the surface and in a vacuum make some sense.
The rumor mill changes direction seemingly every minute. For now, Brown is a Celtic.
Stay tuned, folks.
