Report: Boston Celtics were ready to ship reigning finals MVP Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant 3 years ago
Jaylen Brown has been a key member of the Boston Celtics in his nine-year tenure with the team so far. Brown and All-Star teammate Jayson Tatum are eagerly anticipating a playoff run they believe will lead to back-to-back championships for the Celtics, who will be the first team to do so since the Kevin Durant-led 2017 and 2018 Warriors teams.
However, the dyanmic pair that supporters fondly refer to as "the J's" might not have been. Boston Celtics offered the Brooklyn Nets a package made up of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a first-round draft pick in an effort to secure Kevin Durant's services in 2022, ESPN's Shams Charania said at "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday.
At the time, Durant had demanded a trade out of Brooklyn after their "Big Three" fell through.
The NBA Insider said:
"There was a lot of mutal interest Kevin Durant and the Celtics in the summer of 2022 when he asked for a trade. They (Boston) offered Jaylen Brown, they offered Derrick White, they offered a first-round pick. Brooklyn had said no and they kept him and they ultimately traded him for a haul from Phoenix."
Back in the 2022 offseason, Durant and the Nets were reeling after being swept by Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Durant asked to be moved and teams lined up to trade for the all-time scorer.
Looking back at things, the Boston Celtics should consider themselves lucky that the Nets turned them down as they try to go for back-to-back titles.
How important is Jaylen Brown to the Boston Celtics?
While a lot of the fanfare around the Celtics goes to their susperstar forward Jayson Tatum, he couldn't have won the 2024 title all on his own.
The roster built around him is one of the best in the NBA, a testemant to former head coach and current general manger Brad Stevens, who was able to bring in Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White through smart trades over the years.
While the Celtics preach a team-centric style under Joe Mazulla, Jaylen Brown has filled the role of unsung hero for the team. In their playoff run last season, Jayson Tatum underwent a stretch in which his shot wasn't falling against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Jaylen Brown was the answer to that challenge and took Tyrese Haliburton and Co. with the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tatum's scoring struggles continued when the championship was on the line, as Brown emerged to be the team's leading scorer and one of the team's best defenders responsible for holding back then-Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic. Brown excelled in his new role, winning Finals MVP and solidifying himself as an integral part of the Boston Celtics.
Brown figures to play a big part in the Celtics' postseason run again this season, and if he can recapture his level of play from last June, Boston could add another championship to its league-leading 18 titles.