Celtics offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Kevin Durant

The Celtics offered Brown, guard Derrick White and a draft pick to the Nets for Durant, sources said. The proposal was rejected, and Brooklyn has asked Boston — in any proposal — to include Brown, Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player, those sources added. Currently, the Celtics are less inclined to include Smart along with multiple other player or pick assets, but the franchise is mulling over next steps on how to approach discussions. -via The Athletic / July 25, 2022

No deal for Durant is imminent, and as August and then September loom, the real desire of interested teams will become clear to the Nets. Brooklyn’s front office, led by general manager Sean Marks, has set a high price on the Durant market while constructing a team that gives the organization confidence in its ability to contend should the team bring the roster, as is, into training camp. The onus is on the interested parties to come to the table on meeting the price for one of the NBA’s greatest ever players. The Utah Jazz moved Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package including multiple players, their 2022 first-round pick in Walker Kessler, four future first-rounders and a draft pick swap — which has somewhat increased the market value for Durant and the Nets’ desire for All-Star caliber players and picks. -via The Athletic / July 25, 2022

Durant, a 12-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, asked for a trade June 30 and hasn’t backed off that request. At 33 years old, Durant has four years and $198 million left on his contract, which means Brooklyn can be patient with waiting out teams for the kind of return it believes will eventually emerge for a star player reaching the trade market in his prime. -via ESPN / July 25, 2022

As Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant’s trade request approaches a fourth week, the Boston Celtics have emerged among teams engaged in talks on a possible deal, sources told ESPN. The Celtics appear no closer to acquiring Durant than others in discussions with the Nets, but Boston’s ability to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown as a centerpiece in offers does help to make them formidable in pursuit, sources said. -via ESPN / July 25, 2022

The Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors have been well-known in their varying degrees of interest in Durant, but the Celtics have also been in regular contact with the Nets, sources said. There are no deals believed to have traction for Durant, and no team has yet to reach the significant threshold that the Nets have set to trade one of the league’s most talented players, sources said. -via ESPN / July 25, 2022

The Celtics consider All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum off limits in any trade talks, but Boston is able to construct a package for Durant that could include Brown and as many as three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) — and two pick swaps (2024 and 2026). Brown, 25, has two years and $56 million left on his current contract. -via ESPN / July 25, 2022

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Smart, Robert Williams, Derrick White, Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard are all under contract for next season, and the additions of Brogdon and Gallinari will push that core group to 10. The Celtics last week declined their $1.6 million option on second-year forward Sam Hauser, and league sources said the team will likely sign the sharpshooter to a longer-term deal soon. -via Boston Globe / July 1, 2022

Some players they could pursue with their trade exceptions include Will Barton, Dillon Brooks, and former Celtic Marcus Morris. The Celtics have all their future first-round picks to offer going forward, and they’ve shown a willingness to trade them when they traded one for Horford and another for White since Stevens took over. -via HoopsHype / June 17, 2022