NBA fans were stunned to hear of an old trade report involving Kevin Durant and the Boston Celtics. Although Durant started his career with the OKC Thunder, he left to win championships with the Golden State Warriors and has been on the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns since then in an attempt to win another title.
Durant’s time with the Nets was quite controversial. Although the squad had a legitimate big three after trading for Harden, the closest they came to winning an NBA title was a second-round exit to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Since the Nets ended up trading away Durant and breaking up their star-studded core, Durant’s joining the Suns appears to have been unavoidable. Or so fans believed until recent information revealed that the Celtics made the Nets a shocking offer for Durant.
The Boston Celtics Were Willing To Give Up Future Finals MVP for Kevin Durant
That statement might seem misleading. After all, the Celtics had no way of knowing what the future would look like for their organization. The report revealed that the Celtics made an offer to Sean Marks and the Nets for Durant. They offered a trade package including Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a future first-round draft pick.
The Brooklyn Nets reportedly rejected a package of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a first-round pick for Kevin Durant in 2022, per @ShamsCharania
(Via @PatMcAfeeShow / h/t @GormanChristoph ) pic.twitter.com/iquIjo124y
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2025
White and Brown, who won the Finals MVP last season, helped the Celtics win a title and proved their value to their organization. However, fans who are reading the report now appear frustrated that the Nets missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Some even went far enough to claim that Marks should be fired since he rejected this deal from the Celtics: “Add this to the list of Ammo why Sean Marks should be fired.”
Add this to the list of Ammo why Sean Marks should be fired. https://t.co/lNJVp3lAdx
— Jeri Tsai (@JeriTsaiNets) April 3, 2025
It is important to remember that this alleged trade discussion occurred back in 2022. At the time, Durant was relatively younger and less injury-prone. He was also coming off a season in which he single-handedly attempted to will the Nets past the Bucks and forced a dramatic Game 7 conclusion.
As a result, Durant’s value was at an all-time high. It was more than likely for the Celtics to have thought adding him to their roster would give them a serious advantage over Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
craziest thing is Brooklyn GM has been the worst GM for 10 consecutive years, including Bobby Marks who is currently on ESPN 😂 current GM had a second chance to get Jaylen Brown and passed up again😂
— Joshua 🌔🪙 (@ilustriouseller) April 3, 2025
The NBA world might ponder what Durant would have looked like playing on the Celtics and mentoring a young Tatum. While Nets fans feel frustrated over this report, Celtics fans rejoice over this stroke of random luck for their team.