Report: Celtics among teams that've had ‘regular contact' with Nets on Durant

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After a couple slow weeks in terms of Kevin Durant trade news, we got multiple reports Monday describing the Boston Celtics' interest in the Brooklyn Nets superstar.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Boston offered Jaylen Brown, first-round draft picks and other assets to the Nets, and that Brooklyn rejected the package and made a counter

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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that "the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors have been well-known to have varying degrees of interest in Durant, but the Celtics have also been in regular contact with the Nets, sources said."

It makes sense that the Celtics would be a team in "regular contact" with the Nets.

The Celtics have the assets -- players, draft picks, etc. -- to make this kind of blockbuster trade. Few teams have multiple young stars like Boston does in Jayson Tatum and Brown, although Wojnarowski reported the Celtics view Tatum as "off limits in any trade talks." 

Other teams have the ability to pull off this kind of trade, but how many of them could part with several premium assets and still field a legit championship contending roster around Durant? It's probably a small list. The Celtics could make a deal for Durant and still have a title contender.

That said, the Celtics already have a fantastic roster, especially after adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to a group that came within two wins of an NBA championship last season. Just because the Celtics could make a Durant trade doesn't mean they should. Going into the 2022-23 campaign with their current roster is likely the best decision for the Celtics.

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