While the Kevin Durant rumors continue to fly, it’s often hard to tell what’s real. One thing that suddenly seems questionable is the Celtics’ interest.
Or at least, how serious the Celtics’ talks with the Nets actually have become. According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the answer is … well, not much.
“With the start of training camp just six weeks away, league sources continue to insist that the Celtics are not close to a deal that would bring Kevin Durant to Boston, and that there have not even been any real discussions of substance,” Himmselsbach wrote.
That sounds suspiciously as if it came from team sources, who are likely to shoot down any trade chatter until a deal becomes official. In the Celtics’ case, they know that if they don’t move Jaylen Brown in a Durant trade, then they will need to keep Brown happy.
The best way to do that is pretend they’ve never had “serious” conversations with the Nets, that it’s all been some sort of media creation.
Right now, that is where things stand. Brown is still with the Celtics, Durant is still with the Nets, and there doesn’t seem to be any traction on a deal.
But as we relayed, everyone seems to think the Celtics are the frontrunners to land the disgruntled Durant. Boston is viewed as the team that can offer the best package in return.
And Nets GM Sean Marks is still holding out for the best possible package, it seems. In other words, Marks hasn’t really changed his approach after Durant reiterated his trade request in a meeting with team owner Joe Tsai (and called for Marks’ jobin the process).
“Marks is still asking for the world; that won’t change,” Sam Amick of The Athletic quoted rival executive as saying. “They could call his bluff and make him come to camp. I can’t see him sitting out.”
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Why are you taking rumors so obviously leaked by Nets team sources as a negotiating tactic at face value, while treating the response from Celtics team sources as “pretending” they haven’t had substantial negotiations?
By all accounts, the teams haven’t talked about a deal since early July, when they seemingly exchanged high-level proposals, and then stopped talking.
Everything since is so obviously the Nets leaking details of those early talks to improve negotiating position with other teams that it baffles me that aggregators like you, who don’t need to maintain or cultivate your own sources, aren’t just telling readers that’s “suspiciously” what’s going on, and rather are carrying water for the Nets to further their negotiating aims.