Everything seemed rosy for Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics when they took a 2-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, but it has been all downhill since then. They would lose the next 3 games, and as is the case when you fall short, the team has been looking to upgrade their roster.
They had already made some good moves by acquiring Malcolm Brogdon and signing Danilo Gallinari, but with Kevin Durant being on the market after his trade request, the Celtics just had to make a move for him. They did so by offering a package with Brown as the centerpiece, and while he wasn’t happy to be included in that offer, it seems he remains all-in on the Celtics. His teammate Grant Williams recently spoke on the trade rumors, and he put a positive spin on the situation by saying that Brown being the centerpiece in an offer for Kevin Durant shows just how valuable he is.
Grant Williams on Jaylen Brown-Kevin Durant rumor: “I feel like he’s mature in his mindset … I talk to him, texted him, reach out as often as I can. It’s one of those things, it’s the league, it’s a business, it’s not something to be discouraged by. We love JB.” pic.twitter.com/AAYOC0GWOu
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) August 12, 2022
“It is a significant rumor and it’s something that you are best to take with a grain of salt. I feel like JB is mature in his mindset and he knows that. I talked to him, texted him, reach out as often as you can. It’s one of those things that it’s the league, it’s a business, you can’t really be discouraged by it. I feel like we love JB, everyone here in Boston, everyone on the team. It kinda shows how valuable he is, the fact that a top-10 player in the world and you’re the focal point?”
It is a business as Williams points out, and you need to have some thick skin, as Brown seems to have, to ignore that outside noise. It does speak to his value that the Celtics offered him as the centerpiece, and it does seem like a deal centered around Jaylen is viable for the Nets, but they want a lot more.
Brooklyn initially asked for both Brown and Jayson Tatum in the package, as per reports, but that proposal understandably went nowhere, after which they focused on a deal revolving around Brown. It remains to be seen if both sides do come to an agreement at some point, but if they don’t, then it will be interesting to see how things pan out in Boston in the coming months.
