Robert Williams not available in potential trade involving Kevin Durant

Chris Mannix: I had one executive who was not involved in the Durant sweepstakes say to me ‘if the Nets don’t have the stomach to bring him to training camp, they should find a way to do a deal with Boston because they’re not going to get a better player in a deal than Jaylen Brown’. -via Apple Podcasts / August 11, 2022

Ric Bucher: I’m told that they wanted to trade Kyrie midway through this past season, and KD told them absolutely not. And they went along with it. Now, I’ve also been told while they’re still good friends, that maybe KD doesn’t value him quite the same way as a teammate. I’m not so sure about that. -via Apple Podcasts / August 11, 2022

A few notes on the Nets and Kevin Durant…. Durant sees Boston as a desired landing spot, per people familiar with the matter. Durant also would like to play with Boston’s Marcus Smart if he is traded to the Celtics, per people familiar with the matter. -via SportsNet New York / August 10, 2022

Similarly, recent max and sub-max extensions for rotation-caliber 20-somethings already seem like screaming bargains, especially the ones signed through 2026. I mean, Mikal Bridges for $24.9 million in 2025-26? That might only be 15 percent of the cap. Boston has Robert Williams at $13.5 million the same year, or roughly what the nontaxpayer midlevel exception is likely to become. Solid rotation guys like Cody Martin and John Konchar are locked up at what projects to be a few pennies more than the biannual exception. Before wrapping up, I should emphasize the “shoot-money-out-the-firehose-on-long-term-deals” approach is far less ironclad once we get into players in their late 20s. That’s still the space where not going too far out on the money makes some sense and is why the Blazers going out so far on Damian Lillard still presents a considerable risk — if he’s washed in 2026-27 at age 36, a $63 million cap hit is still a huge problem. -via The Athletic / July 26, 2022

Boston found a value deal with Robert Williams III just last August, extending the Celtics’ starting center for four years, $48 million plus incentives. Cap experts contacted by B/R projected that that salary range can set a benchmark for Grant Williams’ negotiations, but rival executives are skeptical that Boston will be willing to spend much greater a dollar amount on Grant than for Robert. -via Bleacher Report / July 19, 2022

… But in the time since the Finals, Williams has experienced no setbacks or further knee issues. The plan is to take six weeks of rest, and he will then report to the Sanford Power training facility in Irvine, California, to being to ramp up for the season. -via Heavy.com / July 15, 2022