HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and the Celtics beat the writer Jared Weiss share the latest updates on Celtics and Nets trade talks Jaylen Brown and Kevin Durant. In addition, the possibility of Marcus Smart and Grant Williams participating in trade negotiations, what follows To Kyrie Irving future and more on the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast.
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1:30 Jaylen Brown and Kevin Durant trade talks
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Scotto: Brooklyn wanted a package that could outperform Rudy Gober package that Utah got for him in the trade with Minnesota. To date, this market has not materialized. There are some younger guys they would want to bring in if they were going to move Kevin Durant. Scotty Barnes with Toronto not yet on the table. You wondered if Brandon Ingram of the Pelicans can be a person who is placed on the table? So far I have heard that it has not been put on the table. I also didn’t see Durant necessarily wanting to go to New Orleans.
Jaylen Brown would represent, in my opinion, at this point, the best individual player they could potentially go back for Kevin Durant. Brown could be an All-Star for the next seven years. From Boston’s point of view, Derrick White was spent after the acquisition transaction Malcolm Brogdon. Nets general manager Sean Marks has long been a fan of Marcus Smart from afar, according to league sources. I would say so too Grant Williams and Peyton Pritchard would have liked more of their salaries compared to White and given their age and advantages. Name Udoka also enjoyed coaching Durant in Brooklyn during their time together.
Weiss: They are willing to trade Jaylen for Durant. They’re willing to risk short-term age and injury risk to avoid a player who is consistently very good, continues to improve, and was an All-Star two years ago. They are willing to give that up to get one of the best players in the game right now. KD hasn’t been available much in the past few years. He was incredible in the playoffs two years ago and in the regular season last year… If you trade for KD, you trade for him to put you on top of the playoffs and make you the league’s breakout player. The Celtics are in a position where they are far from overpowered, but they just made it to the Finals and added two huge pieces (Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari) that they are missing.
Scotto: Durant had two major injuries in his career, including the achilles fracture and the Jones fracture. The four years remaining on Durant’s contract, according to some executives, could be seen as a problem. With the salary cap and max contracts rising, there is a thought among some executives that most players over 30 may not be worth the exorbitant salaries they receive because they are more injury-prone and have played significant career minutes. I know some executives have asked themselves what To Damian Lillard the extension will look like in the back of this deal. I know he’s their franchise icon, but it’s a lot of money to pay an older player at this point in his career. I would think some teams would look at Durant’s contract as a positive because he’s under contract for four years and locked in, whereas that’s not the case with other guys (who you’re traded for).
9:25 Marcus Smart’s trade availability
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Scotto: As I mentioned, Sean Marks has always been a fan of Marcus Smart from afar. Any chance Boston could include him? I wrote weeks ago that if Boston were to put Brown and Smart in a package for Brooklyn, it could really whet the appetite (for a Durant trade) for the Nets. (In that scenario) Boston wouldn’t have to give up as much draft compensation as the Nets are looking for.
Weiss: Smart is, in a way, the team captain. It’s funny because going into the season, Name Udoka talked about appointing two captains and then backed away from that and said his time was up. There was a presumption that Smart would be one of those guys. Smart and Al Horfordor Smart and Brown or Jayson Tatum. Smart becomes more expendable when you import Malcolm Brogdon for you will again have Brogdon and White as your two guards.
If you lose Smart, how much will that affect the team’s defensive identity? … If you trade Smart, you’re trading a player who has that deep root in the organization and is a tremendous force that is the central identity of the defense that made them so great. Last year they wanted to build this team around a defensive identity. It works quite well. If they trade Smart in the deal, they change the identity of the franchise pretty drastically… I think Smart is worth more to this team than other teams.
14:10 Grant Williams available for trade
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Scotto: Grant Williams, despite being a backup forward and backup five on this team, has a voice in this locker room. I think if Williams and his agency could, they would be happy to extend with Boston. Any time you have a chance to take Durant and a guy like Williams might need to be included, you have to look at this. What are the chances Williams will be in this trade conversation for Durant or a potential extension for Williams if he stays with the Celtics?
Weiss: I think he has a chance to get an extension. What’s tricky is how do you do extension when you design the cap to go up so much? $15 million now is really more like $17 or $18 million next year. Can you get the franchise to reflect this and compensate effectively, or would you rather enter the market with inflation at the new cap? That’s a factor in whether this deal will go through. I don’t see this deal happening anytime soon because they have to wait out the Durant situation.
21:10 The future of Kyrie Irving’s networks
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Scotto: If networks trade Kevin Durantit could mean the end of To Kyrie Irving time in Brooklyn too. There is a school of thought by some that Brooklyn could fall under the luxury tax by moving Durant and Irving. While the Nets owner Joe Tsai has shown a clear willingness to pay the luxury tax for a championship-contending team, he might like it less if the team is just a playoff-caliber team. I don’t think deep in their hearts in the organization that the Nets want to move Durant. That’s why the asking price is so high. I think deep down the Nets want Durant and Irving to come back and give it another shot. You have Ben Simmonswho is your third piece they added TJ Warrenthey returned Nicholas Claxton, Joe Harris comes back healthy and you have a full season Seth Curry.
Some people on Twitter commented that if the Nets got Brown and Irving, it would be an interesting team. Folks, yes the Nets wanted Irving in free agency if they could get him, but a lot of that was because he came with Durant. During Irving’s time with the Nets, he left the team for personal reasons, did not get vaccinated, and the Big Three (with James Harden) turned into the big 2.5, which was the main reason Harden wanted to leave. They failed to live up to the expectations that he publicly hoped for with the team and that the team had hoped for since everyone came together.
Weiss: I thought someone reported that the Nets weren’t interested in taking over Russell Westbrook (in the Irving deal) and bought him out to get the pick from the Lakers. If you can get two future first-rounders from the Lakers at a time when there’s a good chance the franchise could end, you should take it. The assets would be too valuable and you can flip them again pretty soon.
Scotto: When it comes to any potential Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving trade talks, or if the Lakers move Westbrook to either team, both future first-round picks must be included. You already saw that Indiana gave up several second round picks (in addition to one first round pick)… If the Nets were to take Westbrook, my guess would be that there would be a third team and one of those first round picks would go to a team with a salary cap like the Pacers or Spurs, for example. They’d likely have more of an appetite to trade him for a first-round pick.
29:00 Final thoughts
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Scotto: As for Durant’s trade request to get out of Brooklyn, time will tell if that will be honored or not. I will say this, Kobe Bryant at one time he wanted to leave the Lakers, but it didn’t happen. I think there’s still a time here where it’s not a problem for me and other executives around the league that Durant is traded.
Weiss: I feel Toronto is in the best position to make a move for Durant because they have the potential to offer three really quality starters and several draft picks. The Celtics can do that too, but Toronto has a little more youth in their favor and offense, especially if you build around Ben Simmons, who is a strong defender. Huge storyline here is what to expect from Simmons?
Scotto: Simmons is thought to guard the best player one through five, really possibly four, not all five. He can play a bit of Bruce Brown offensive role. They want him to come out in transition to make it look easy for Durant and Irving. I think he will help them defensively, no doubt. You mentioned that Toronto is…
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