As Rumors About the Celtics Trading for Kevin Durant Persisted, Ime Udoka Checked in with Jaylen Brown

Brown was the Celtics' second-leading scorer and rebounder last postseason, and he led the team in scoring in the NBA Finals.

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Jaylen Brown understands the agenda-driven nature of NBA rumors. He knows, in the league where stars change teams most often, whether it's for Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, or the next great player who asks for a trade, his name being in the rumor mill is part of the business.

As these processes play out, like the one that's ultimately led Durant back to Brooklyn, they also represent an opportunity for Brown to assess his relationship with the Celtics.

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Knowing these rumors can create friction between player and franchise, in an appearance on Merloni, Fauria and Mego on WEEI's Jimmy Fund Radiothon, Brad Stevens stated the team has communicated with Brown throughout the summer, including as the drama surrounding Durant unfolded.

"Of course," the Celtics' president of basketball operations said about staying in contact with their leading scorer in the NBA Finals. "Jaylen’s been through this from the standpoint of listening and the noise has been around him for a long time, big names over the years.

"I think one of the things you have to be able to do is ignore the noise and know what’s important. Also, be able to reach out and have candid and transparent communications with the people involved. We’ve had those and been very open from the get-go as all of this has been going on for any of our guys. I sat down with Jaylen last week in LA. He looked great, and he will be back to Boston soon."

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Ime Udoka's also reached out to Brown this summer, relaying the following during his appearance on Merloni, Fauria and Mego on WEEI's Jimmy Fund Radiothon.

"We have a lot of guys whose names have come up over the years, and so with us, we reiterate how important they are to us, and we all see these guys in the summer anyway but also let them know a lot of these rumors that come out are leaked by people that have specific agendas.

"If a name like Kevin Durant comes up, a high-level player like that, people are naturally going to ask about your best players, and so, Jayson, Jaylen, Marcus, those names always tend to come up. We let them know how much we value them and that these things are often times leaked, and nothing is going to come of it."

As he prepares for his second season at the helm, Udoka also shared he spent time with Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Payton Pritchard last week in Los Angeles.

As the Celtics gear up for a season in which some, such as FanDuel Sportsbook, consider them the betting favorite to win the NBA title, they start training camp next month.

Further Reading

Examining How the Celtics Might Manage Their Center Rotation

Brad Stevens on Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors: 'Since the Brogdon trade, we felt really good about our team'

Kevin Durant Returning to Nets, Officially Putting Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors to Rest

Denzel Valentine Joins the Open Competition for Spot at Back End of Celtics Roster

Jayson Tatum Addresses Workout Photos with Kevin Durant, Sheds Light on Previously Undisclosed Injury

[Watch] Jaylen Brown Pushes Himself to the Limit in Offseason Workout

[Video] Jayson Tatum Shows Out at CrawsOver Pro-Am

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