A little over a month ago, yours truly posted a fresh look at the Celtics’ depth charts, because it seemed like they were done making moves. Certainly weren’t going to do anything earth-shattering.
Then, almost immediately, the Celtics came up in trade rumors involving Nets superstar Kevin Durant. And the stories simply refused to die. Until now.
The Nets formally tweeted on Tuesday that they’re standing down, that they’re sticking with Durant for the 2022-23 season and possibly beyond. For now, Durant, his business partner Rich Kleiman, Nets head coach Steve Nash, and co-owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai have gotten on the same page.
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“We have agreed to move forward with our partnership,” the Nets’ Twitter statement reads. “We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
And so ends a month and change of furious Durant trade rumors, heavily involving the Celtics, mainly because of the players and packages they would’ve been able to give up in a deal. Jaylen Brown was often at the center of those talks, and the Nets reportedly led right out with Brown and Jayson Tatum, which was a valiant effort but obviously a non-starter, waste-of-breath kind of offer.
So, even if the Durant trade talks between the Celtics and Nets were as serious as the reports and rumors were persistent, it doesn’t seem like they ever approached an actual deal.
The Celtics’ recent social media posts over the weekend appeared to signify that they’re standing by Brown and moving forward with him and Tatum as their top All-Star duo – for next season, anyway. But Boston’s activity turned out to be a harbinger for the Nets’ announcement that the trade talks were over.
Soon after the Nets’ announcement, player-turned pundit Patrick Beverley weighed in on the matter on Twitter. And, obviously, because why wouldn’t he, Durant quote-tweeted him within 15 minutes.
That right there is why Durant had disaster potential in Boston. He’s way too online for a professional athlete, let alone one of the very best at his craft. He tries to act like he’s just having fun with it and it doesn’t bother him. But if you ask me, he’s the human embodiment of that meme with the guy hiding his tears behind a fake smile.
Durant is going to have to figure out how to win his next championship in Brooklyn, it would seem. Hard to imagine that the trade rumors continue to come up as Durant advances into his late-30s, and his inevitable decline picks up steam. Celtics fans ought to be glad the team didn’t sell its soul for what might have been one roller coaster of a year with Durant in green.
But at least we got a fun month of rumors, tweets, memes, podcasts, and pageviews, though.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at [email protected].
