“They’re not doing that" - Former Boston Celtics legend believes the C's won't trade for Kevin Durant
After the Kevin Durant sweepstakes saw the Boston Celtics join a few days ago, a former Celtics legend commented on the deal. NBA champion Paul Pierce, in an appearance at the premiere of "Point Gods," shunned the idea of trading Brown/Smart for Durant, stating:
“They’re not doing that.”
Paul Pierce also in attendance at the Point Gods premiere — when the topic of the potential Celtics/Nets deal came up he was clear with his answer. “They’re not doing that.”
For the Boston Celtics, is there a rationale behind acquiring Kevin Durant?
In a world where the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart to acquire Kevin Durant, the Celtics still might have the upper hand.
Historically, Durant needs one player at the All-NBA level, maybe another All-Star and a few excellent role players to win an NBA championship.
Giving up Marcus Smart will hurt the Celtics' defense, but that's about it. The offensive output of Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown combined was unequivocally matched by Kevin Durant this season.
The Celtics recently acquired Malcolm Brogdon, who is a formidable wing despite not playing at the level of Brown. The career averages for both players are about the same:
Robert Williams III, Danilo Gallinari, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Grant Williams and Al Horford would round out the frontcourt for the Celtics.
The backcourt would house Brogdon, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
Another thing that Durant brings to the table is the experience of a champion. The Celtics have a young core that went to the NBA Finals following a miraculous run after January last season.
They endured a tough seven-game series with both the Bucks and the Heat. Their lack of experience and exhaustion finally caught up to them in the FInals. A team that hadn't lost two consecutive games since January dropped three straight to lose the NBA finals at home.
An experienced veteran like Durant could bring a fresh perspective to a young team.
Most importantly, as JJ Redick highlighted in his podcast a few months ago, Durant is the ultimate "plug & play" player. This is what makes trading for Durant so lucrative for any team in the NBA.
Durant is a seven-foot shooting machine who can pull up from anywhere on the court and score at will.
However, it all comes down to how the ownership and the front office wants to manage the team. Durant's addition makes this team a championship favorite but leverages a substantial part of its future.