How avoiding a trade for Kevin Durant shaped the Celtics future
Throughout his Boston Celtics career, Jaylen Brown has been floated in countless trade rumors. One of the more recent rumors was when Kevin Durant was looking for an exit route from the Brooklyn Nets in 2023. Brown was listed as a potential trade chip to bring the future Hall of Famer to Boston, however, Brad Stevens stuck with his core of Jayson Tatum and Brown, trusting they could figure it out.
In hindsight, Stevens made the right call. After adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer, Joe Mazzulla’s team stormed to the first seed in the Eastern Conference and secured the 18th championship in franchise history. Durant’s Phoenix Suns have stuttered since his arrival, despite adding Bradley Beal last summer.
Nevertheless, in a recent video by Clutch Points, they simulated how things would have played out if the Celtics had swapped Brown for Durant when he was leaving Brooklyn. The sim ran until the end of the 2024 postseason as they looked to figure out whether Boston would still have lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
