BOSTON – In the opening hours of free agency the Celtics, in the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade last season, watched the competition improve. They watched the 76ers add P.J. Tucker and Danuel House in moving towards a more team friendly agreement with James Harden. They caught the eye of the Bucks and added Joe Ingles to a team that pushed Boston to seven games in the conference semifinals — without All-Star guard Khris Middleton. They watched the Hawks trade for Dejounte Murray, the Knicks sign Jalen Brunson and the Wizards stockpile point guards to play opposite the newly re-signed Bradley Beal.
On Thursday, the Celtics stayed quiet.
In Danilo Gallinari, who will reportedly sign a two-year, $13 million contract with the Celtics next week, and Malcolm Brogdon, who was robbed, though, acquired from Indiana for a first-round pick and a collection of spare parts, Boston has done more than keep up with the competition – arguably pushed past them. A team – a Finals team – eight deep with reliable playoff talent now goes 10 with Brogdon, a physical, 6’5” combo guard who will fit seamlessly into the Celtics’ switch-heavy defensive schemes.
Critics will say that Brogdon is injury prone, and they are right. He never played more than 56 games in three seasons with Indiana, missing more than half of last season. They will say that Gallinari, at 33, is an inefficient scorer and a defensive liability, and there is merit to that. But the Celtics will not ask Brogdon to be the main scorer, as he was in Indiana. Only a solid playmaker contributes on defense. And while Boston’s pursuit of Gallinari feels decades long — former GM Danny Ainge’s interest in Gallinari dates back to his days in Denver — the Italian forward projects as the eighth or ninth man in a deep Celtics rotation.
Durant will likely be on the move this season. Could a trade deal for Brown end up happening?
Kevin Durant asked for a trade this week and the Nets have begun the incredible task of fielding offers for the franchise star. Brooklyn’s asking price, rival executives familiar with the situation told Sports Illustrated, is steep: two All-Star caliber talents and a cache of draft picks. If a team doesn’t have that, one operator said, the response was “well, go out and get it.” At 33, Durant is among the NBA’s best pure scorers, a perennial MVP candidate with a skill set and work ethic that should allow his game to age well. The Nets have no incentive to tank — Houston, courtesy of the James Harden deal, has control of Brooklyn’s first-round picks through 2027 — and want premium value in any trade.
The Celtics are among a handful of teams that can give it to them.
Would Boston want Durant? Any Durant deal would start with Jaylen Brown, the 25-year-old forward. Brown was an All-Star in 2021 and played like an All-Star in the second half of last season, after overcoming injuries and the inconsistency across the team that infected the Celtics during the first two months of the season. It would undoubtedly include draft picks – Boston traded its first-rounder in 2023 for Brogdon and has to trade a pick to the Spurs from the Derrick White deal in 2028 – and the Celtics may need to add another player, who is Jayson Tatum, to the mix.
Boston is, if inadvertently, ready for that. If the Nets want Grant Williams, the Celtics have Gallinari, who joins a frontcourt rotation of Robert Williams and Al Horford and could include Thomas Bryant, the former Wizards center who is said to be on Boston’s short list. The Celtics would understandably resist giving up Marcus Smart, who exceeded expectations in his first year as a lead guard, but if Smart were to go, Brogdon, who averaged 21 points per game during the 2020-21 season , there to take his place. .
Equally important: Would Durant want to play in Boston? Durant has four years left on his contract but no team is acquiring the former MVP without his blessing. The Celtics were not on the initial list of teams revealed after the trade request. But Durant granted Boston a free agency meeting in 2016. He has a strong relationship with Horford, who could have signed with Oklahoma City, not Boston, in 2016, if Durant had committed to staying there. He was coached by Ime Udoka, Rhydy’s assistant during the 20-21 season. His business interests are in New York, perhaps motivating a northeast location. And Durant wants to win.
Cutting a Finals team is dangerous. Especially one with a long shelf life. Brown is under contract for two more seasons. Tatum is locked in for at least three. Smart and Robert Williams’ four-year contract extensions start next season. Grant Williams, a revelation for Boston off the bench last season, is likely to get his own extension. Horford is the only key player on an expiring contract.
The Celtics don’t need Durant to compete for championships.
But do they need it to win one?
Think about it: Durant is a proven, battle-tested playoff performer with two titles — and a pair of Finals MVPs — on his resume. Against Golden State, the Celtics’ offense often stagnated. Durant is addressing that. They struggled to score in the half court, turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate. Pair Durant with Tatum and that problem largely disappears as well. With Durant, Boston’s championship window would shrink. Three seasons. Maybe four. But they would be title favourites, perhaps the title favourites, in all of them.
Kevin Durant’s barnstorming has begun.
Let’s see if the Celtics jump into it.
