Just Another Manic Monday

In the 2022 NBA Finals, Jaylen Brown was Boston's leading scorer (only Steph Curry scored more points in the series), pouring 23.5 PPG, to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 made treys.

I was upstate in the sticks for a family reunion this weekend, so I was relieved a blockbuster didn't go down while I was in the land of waterfalls and wonky wi-fi.

However, a Woj bomb detonated early Monday morning, shaking up the NBA a bit. At 2:31 AM, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Celtics had emerged as a potential landing spot for Kevin Durant. A few hours later, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Boston recently offered All-Star Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece in a package for KD and "have emerged as a real threat to acquire Durant."

In addition to Brown, The C's were willing to include Derrick White and a draft pick. Brooklyn rejected that proposal and countered by asking Boston to include Brown, Marcus Smart, draft picks and potentially one more rotation player. According to Shams, the Celtics are "less inclined to include Smart along with multiple other players or pick assets, but the franchise is mulling over next steps on how to approach discussions."

Man, this is a fascinating situation on so many levels.  

The Nets entered last season as the heavy favorites to win the East and capture the NBA title. We know how that played out. 

Meanwhile, it was the Celtics, who were below .500 in mid-January, who would represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals. The two best players on the C's are two players Boston drafted via picks they obtained in the infamous Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade with Brooklyn. 

Now, it seems possible Durant could end up in Beantown, with Brown (and Marcus Smart?) heading to BK? Craziness. And a reminder of why the NBA is a 24/7-365 obsession for so many of us.

Brown, who at 25 is eight years younger than KD, emerged as a legit stud in the 2022 playoffs. For what it's worth, consider this:

Durant's per-game averages in the first-round vs. Boston:
26.3 points (on 38% shooting),
5.8 rebounds,
6.3 assists (vs. 5.3 turnovers),
1.0 steals. 

Brown's per-game averages in the first-round vs. Brooklyn:
22.5 points (on 49% shooting),
5.3 rebounds,
4.3 assists (vs. 2.5 turnovers),
2.5 steals 

In the Finals, Brown was Boston's leading scorer (only Steph Curry scored more points in the six-game series), pouring 23.5 points per contest, to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 made three-pointers. 

I assume the additional rotation player the Nets are looking to pry from Boston is Grant Williams, who emerged as a significant contributor during Boston's postseason run. Williams exploded for 27 points, seven triples, six rebounds, and two blocked shots in Boston's Game-7 victory over the Bucks in the semifinals. Williams has just one year left on his rookie contract. 

A package of Brown, Smart, Williams and some draft capital would be a huge haul. Yet, this is Kevin Freakin' Durant we're talking about. The best offensive player of this generation and one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen. 

Even if Boston parted with Brown, Smart and Williams, they'd still have an incredibly impressive roster. 

Their depth chart post-trade would likely look like this: 
PG: Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard
SG: Derrick White, JD Davison
SF: Jayson Tatum, Danilo Gallinari
PF: Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mfiondu Kabengele
C: Robert Williams, Luke Kornet

That's a phenomenal starting five. And that's assuming they can't convince Boston to take White instead of Smart/White by including unprotected picks. 

Depth would definitely be an issue for the Celtics, but they'd have open roster spots that could be filled by veterans willing to settle for the minimum. And you know plenty of guys would love to play alongside KD and Tatum on a championship favorite.