Why the Celtics Are in the Mix for Kevin Durant

Plus, can any team actually outbid the Knicks for Donovan Mitchell?

It should come as no surprise the Celtics have emerged as a landing spot for Durant, as ESPN and The Athletic reported Monday. As Sports Illustrated wrote several weeks ago, Boston was always a natural landing spot for Durant. Not only are the Celtics, finalists for the first time in more than a decade last season, the kind of contending team that would make a run at Durant, they are also armed with the assets to get him. Jaylen Brown is 25, an All-Star with two years left on his contract. Boston could include one or more role players (Derrick White, Grant Williams) and have a few more years of draft picks and/or swap rights to deal.

I’d even go as far to say that, as of right now, Boston should be considered the favorite to land Durant. Consider the landscape: Phoenix couldn’t make anything work while Deandre Ayton was a free agent, and now that he has signed a four-year, max-level extension—one that makes trading him anywhere impossible until Jan. 15, after which the Suns would need his permission in the first year—Phoenix’s options are limited. Miami can’t trade Bam Adebayo to Brooklyn, per NBA salary rules, as long as Ben Simmons is on the Nets’ roster—there are some in the NBA that don’t believe the Heat would trade Bam for Durant, anyway—and a Tyler Herro–headlined package isn’t enough. Warriors GM Bob Myers has shot down the possibility of Golden State reacquiring Durant. And there has been no traction with Toronto, I’m told, with the Raptors showing no interest in trading Scottie Barnes. There’s been some chatter about Utah getting involved, with Donovan Mitchell routed to Brooklyn and a boatload of draft picks landing in the Jazz’s lap, but there’s nothing substantive there, either.

That leaves … Boston.

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Why would the Celtics want Durant? Skeptics will point out that oddsmakers have made Boston title favorites without Durant. The Celtics loaded up in the offseason, adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari, and remain on the hunt for a backup center. Brown averaged nearly 24 points per game last season with higher shooting percentages from the floor (50.6%) and three-point range (37.3%) after the All-Star break, when he—and the Celtics—got healthy. If Boston had rallied to beat Golden State, there’s a decent chance Brown would have been Finals MVP.

But here’s the thing: Try to tell the Boston brass the Celtics are a sure thing for a return trip to the Finals. They know that if the Bucks’ Khris Middleton was healthy the Celtics’ season probably would have ended in the second round last year. And if Jimmy Butler had a little left in his legs, Miami would have won Game 7 of the conference finals against Boston. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has reloaded, and Atlanta and Cleveland will be better.

As good as the Celtics were last season, this team could be one injury away from getting bounced out of the playoffs early in the next one.

Durant changes that. A Durant–Jayson Tatum pairing would give Boston one of the NBA’s most explosive offenses. Remember all those problems the Celtics had creating offense in the Finals? Gone. And while Durant’s age (34 in September) and injury history are legitimate concerns, when healthy Durant still looked like one of the league’s best players last season, suggesting that his game will age well. If it does, Boston suddenly has a four-year—the duration of Durant’s contract—title-winning window.

Why would Durant want to play in Boston? As far as we know—and we know very little about this situation, including the specific reasons Durant wants to be traded—the Celtics are not on Durant’s preferred team list. But Boston was a team Durant granted a meeting with in 2016, when Durant was a free agent. He has a strong relationship with Al Horford, who strongly considered signing with Oklahoma City in ’16 had Durant elected to stay there. He’s familiar with Ime Udoka, an assistant with Brooklyn during the ’20–21 season. And Durant wants to win. On paper, the Celtics may offer him the best shot.

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So what happens next? Not much, probably. If the Nets and Celtics have exchanged offers, as The Athletic reported, both are likely to sit on them for a while. Boston, along with the rest of the NBA, wants to see whether Brooklyn is really willing to bring Durant to training camp. If the Nets are not—and it may be late August or early September before we know the answer to that—their asking price may drop. If they are, the Celtics may have to beef up their offer if they want to pry Durant loose.

Which brings us to the last point. Boston may have to increase its offer. The news that the Celtics made a run at Durant, again, wasn’t surprising. But it certainly could not have helped the franchise’s relationship with Brown, who has been mentioned in trade rumors for several years. For Kawhi Leonard. For Anthony Davis. Now Durant. It would be understandable for Brown, months removed from a Finals run, to be irritated by seemingly being deemed expendable again. On Monday, Brown tweeted “Smh” shortly after the reports of Boston’s interest in Durant broke.

Brown has been nothing but professional during his time in Boston. But he’s also two years away from free agency. He signed a contract that, because it was below market value at the time, makes it highly unlikely he extends before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024. The Celtics could offer Brown the most money—which, as we have seen with Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard, is a huge advantage—but it’s still possible Brown could simply sign elsewhere.

This could be Boston’s best chance to take a big swing. The Celtics understandably don’t want to include Marcus Smart in a Durant deal. And Robert Williams III is likely off limits. But they have options. And they know that it’s possible, maybe even likely, that Brown is the best centerpiece of any trade Brooklyn is formally offered. This could be a game of chicken for a while. Boston will have to see whether the Nets blink.

Can any team actually outbid the Knicks for Donovan Mitchell? Or do you see him just ending up there in the end? —@iwasmmueller88

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Rumors swirled on social media last weekend that a deal between the Knicks and Jazz for Mitchell was imminent. I’ve been told it’s not. Look, this is exactly the kind of situation Danny Ainge likes to be in. He’s got a young star on a long-term contract and the potential for a bidding war to break out. Miami can offer Tyler Herro and a bunch of picks/swaps. Phoenix can offer Mikal Bridges and a bunch of picks/swaps. The Raptors could offer OG Anunoby and a bunch of picks/swaps.

In short, the Knicks have competition. Real competition. There is no urgency in Utah to trade Mitchell before the start of the season. Mitchell has not publicly requested a trade. And the Jazz are going to be mediocre, regardless. I covered Ainge for a long time in Boston. He’s going to get what he wants, or he’s not going to do a deal. I’ve had countless conversations with rival executives frustrated by Ainge’s Celtics’ unwillingness to negotiate what they saw as reasonable deals.

The question is, who is going to give Ainge the package he likes? Believe me, someone will. Are the Knicks that desperate to get Mitchell? Is Miami? Is Phoenix? Could another team come out of the woodwork? Minnesota was desperate to add Rudy Gobert, so it surrendered a haul of assets to get him. Who will be the team that does the same for Mitchell?

Tell me about the Spurs heading into next season. Thanks! —@BernieBahrmasel

Close your eyes and think of Victor Wembanyama.

Thoughts on possible Kevin Porter Jr. extension? —@JTGatlin

Rockets fans—and, occasionally podcasters, like my man Jackson—like to remind me that I was critical of Porter in the aftermath of Porter clashing with assistant coach John Lucas II at halftime and, per ESPN, leaving the arena shortly thereafter. I wrote that Houston should cut ties with Porter and Christian Wood, who was involved in a separate incident that same game that led to a suspension. The Rockets did move Wood last month, offloading him to Dallas for the 26th pick and a bunch of guys who will never play meaningful minutes for them. A decision on Porter is next.

The Rockets aren’t going to dump Porter. But it says here they shouldn’t extend him, either. Porter had a solid statistical season last year. He averaged 15.6 points, handed out 6.2 assists and connected on 37.5% of his threes. Talking to people in and around the Rockets organization at Summer League, Porter is a well-liked guy amongst teammates and support staff. But Houston won 20 games last season. It won 17 the year before, during the COVID-19-shortened 2020–21 season. As good as Porter has looked, he has yet to contribute to winning.

If you’re Houston, what’s the rush? Take a full season of Porter playing alongside Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Alperen Şengün, and see how it goes. If it goes well, Houston can either sign Porter to a new deal after the season or extend a qualifying offer to give them matching rights. It just doesn’t make sense, to me, anyway, to commit long-term money, not with so many questions still lingering.

If the Kings’ goal is to make the playoffs, is their current roster good enough as is? —@DokkNBA

Here’s the thing: I sneakily like Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis—Fox and Ox, which is already one of the NBA’s best nicknames—played really well during their limited time together last season. I think Kevin Huerter will play well in an expanded role, and Davion Mitchell will be a bigger factor in his second season, especially if his three-point shot improves. Keegan Murray, the Vegas Summer League MVP, looked as good as he possibly could. Harrison Barnes and Malik Monk round out what looks like a pretty solid rotation. And I think Mike Brown, after years on the Warriors’ bench, was a smart hire as head coach.

Monte McNair and Wes Wilcox have put together a nice team here. Do I think the Kings make the playoffs? The West is loaded so it’s tough to make that call right now. But I do think Sacramento will be a play-in team, and if things break right, it could finally end that 16-year playoff drought.