Would you trade Jaylen+ for Durant?

Would you trade Jaylen+ for Durant?

  • Yes

    Votes: 123 26.3%
  • No

    Votes: 285 60.9%
  • Not Sure - this is all moving too fast for me!

    Votes: 60 12.8%

  • Total voters
    468

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
I also stand by my controversial Maxey > Davion Mitchell take. Had no idea he would take this big of a jump, though. He was basically being discussed as a throw in because some backup guard was tying himself to Simmons.
I hope that your Maxey > Davion Mitchell take isn't perceived as controversial here. I'm not high on Maxey yet (jury is out), but he's way better than Mitchell. Mitchell is so overrated that I sometimes think that he's a Laker. He's a terrible offensive player, and he's shockingly better there than on defense despite his rep. Only one season in, but he's a legit terrible basketball player. You don't have to squint too hard to see a decent starter in Maxey eventually.
 

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
14,283
I hope that your Maxey > Davion Mitchell take isn't perceived as controversial here. I'm not high on Maxey yet (jury is out), but he's way better than Mitchell. Mitchell is so overrated that I sometimes think that he's a Laker. He's a terrible offensive player, and he's shockingly better there than on defense despite his rep. Only one season in, but he's a legit terrible basketball player. You don't have to squint too hard to see a decent starter in Maxey eventually.
I don't think it would be controversial at all after the season. It's just a side argument that came up in the Simmons tradecasting discussions last offseason.

My main point was just that a ton can change in perception from one off season to the next (& I guess to pat myself on the back lol).
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
I don't think it would be controversial at all after the season. It's just a side argument that came up in the Simmons tradecasting discussions last offseason.

My main point was just that a ton can change in perception from one off season to the next (& I guess to pat myself on the back lol).
Good point.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,112
Santa Monica
Are there any concerns with KD's thin-skinned Twitter antics?

He also backed Kyrie's "Boston fans are racist " stuff in a post-game presser last year :rolleyes:

I'm not thoroughly positive he would thrive under the Boston sports microscope.

50/50 on JB + White + 1 pick for KD
100% against JB + Smart + 2 picks

Really want to see the younger guys continue to develop (JT, JB, PP, GW, Rob) under IME. PLUS the additions of Brogdon/Gallo.

Hoping KD heads west to NOLA and his talents are wasted with an oft-injured Zion.

https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/5/26/22454592/kyrie-irving-comment-about-bostons-subtle-racism-adds-fuel-to-nets-celtics-fire
 

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
5,934
Cultural hub of the universe
Are there any concerns with KD's thin-skinned Twitter antics?

He also backed Kyrie's "Boston fans are racist " stuff in a post-game presser last year :rolleyes:

I'm not thoroughly positive he would thrive under the Boston sports microscope.

50/50 on JB + White + 1 pick for KD
100% against JB + Smart + 2 picks

Really want to see the younger guys continue to develop (JT, JB, PP, GW, Rob) under IME. PLUS the additions of Brogdon/Gallo.

Hoping KD heads west to NOLA and his talents are wasted with an oft-injured Zion.

https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/5/26/22454592/kyrie-irving-comment-about-bostons-subtle-racism-adds-fuel-to-nets-celtics-fire
I'll go a step further. KD would set us back in terms of building a long lasting winning culture. A year or two and the shit would hit the fan again. Totally with you on seeing this team continuing to develop.
 

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,494
I'll go a step further. KD would set us back in terms of building a long lasting winning culture. A year or two and the shit would hit the fan again. Totally with you on seeing this team continuing to develop.
I’d rather have a ring or two in the bank in those two years than say, five years of a “winning culture” with multiple deep playoff runs and no championships. AKA, I’d rather be the Miami Heat with LeBron than the 90s Utah Jazz.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,199
CA
Same here. It is weird though in that New Orleans is actually far more west of BOS or BRK than it is south
One of my best friends has lived there for 20 years and we probably discuss the fact that New Orleans is in the Central time zone at least once a year because I can’t wrap my head around it.
 

mikeot

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2006
8,147
I'll go a step further. KD would set us back in terms of building a long lasting winning culture. A year or two and the shit would hit the fan again. Totally with you on seeing this team continuing to develop.

I’d rather have a ring or two in the bank in those two years than say, five years of a “winning culture” with multiple deep playoff runs and no championships. AKA, I’d rather be the Miami Heat with LeBron than the 90s Utah Jazz.
Therein lies the rub.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,112
Santa Monica
I’d rather have a ring or two in the bank in those two years than say, five years of a “winning culture” with multiple deep playoff runs and no championships. AKA, I’d rather be the Miami Heat with LeBron than the 90s Utah Jazz.
Durant guarantees nothing but shortening the Championship window. Playing in Boston is a different kettle of fish. Part of the equation is: Will a sensitive/prickly Durant be the best version of himself in Boston? IDK, it's not a given that KD will thrive here.

A 26yr old LeBron/Bosh joining Wade via free agency/S&T is not the equivalent of handing over a 26yr old Brown + Smart + picks for a 34yr old NBA Superstar Diva. Also note: Stockton/Malone were 34/33 and it took them more than a decade before UTAH sniffed an NBA Finals appearance. They were never favorites to win a Championship

What JT/JB have accomplished by 25 is unique. Right now, as built, they are Vegas favorites. Plus Brad has plenty of flexibility with TPEs/future picks to continue filling out around JayLord during the season. The rest of the league superstars are aging out while Bostons' young stars are heading towards their primes.
 
Last edited:

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,494
Durant guarantees nothing but shortening the Championship window. Playing in Boston is a different kettle of fish. Part of the equation is: Will a sensitive/prickly Durant be the best version of himself in Boston? IDK, it's not a given that KD will thrive here.

A 26yr old LeBron/Bosh joining Wade via free agency/S&T is not the equivalent of handing over a 26yr old Brown + Smart + picks for a 34yr old NBA Superstar Diva. Also note: Stockton/Malone were 34/33 and it took them more than a decade before UTAH sniffed an NBA Finals appearance. They were never favorites to win a Championship

What JT/JB have accomplished by 25 is unique. Right now, as built, they are Vegas favorites. Plus Brad has plenty of flexibility with TPEs/future picks to continue filling out around JayLord during the season. The rest of the league superstars are aging out while Bostons' young stars are heading towards their primes.
You could have saved a bunch of words by simply saying “I don’t like Kevin Durant.” Instead, you called him sensitive, prickly and a diva in less than two paragraphs without acknowledging the obvious fact that even the current version of Kevin Durant is a much better player than Jaylen Brown. You spoke of odds: A Brown/White/picks trade for Durant would increase the Celtics odds in Vegas, and probably by a decent amount. As for the enduring myth that “Boston is a tough place to play for guys like ______,” I’ll bet that if Durant performs to his expected level, he’ll be just fine.

Stockton and Malone had ten 50+ win seasons together but never won a single title. Their window was extremely long and they ended up with nothing to show for it. I would hate for that to happen to Jaylen and Tatum.
 

EvilEmpire

paying for his sins
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2007
17,178
Washington
Their window was extremely long and they ended up with nothing to show for it. I would hate for that to happen to Jaylen and Tatum.
Well, look at it this way: Brown is only signed for two more years and it isn't a given that he re-signs with Boston. So Boston, as currently constructed, might not have an extremely long window anyway.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,205
Once again, the only constant is change.

If Boston can't win with this roster next season, they are almost certainly going to move some key pieces. If they go two more years of coming up short, who will be shocked if we start hearing whispers about a star trade?

The window is now. Anyone thinking this club has a multi year window seems to be ignoring the way the league operates these days. Players don't like their squad? Dont run it back - recruit or lobby.

Players appear to understand this, teams operate as if this is standard business but we fans have to deal with an ever more extreme version of players versus laundry. Imo, the laundry already won.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Well, look at it this way: Brown is only signed for two more years and it isn't a given that he re-signs with Boston. So Boston, as currently constructed, might not have an extremely long window anyway.
Jaylen Brown types actually sign with Boston during FA too. No trades required.

Al Horford, Kemba, Gordon.

That's not to say Jaylen Brown won't leave, just that the C's will be able to replace him if they have cap space.
 

EvilEmpire

paying for his sins
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2007
17,178
Washington
That's not to say Jaylen Brown won't leave, just that the C's will be able to replace him if they have cap space.
That could certainly happen. One window closes and maybe a new one opens.

But obviously we were talking about a Boston team with its current stars. Otherwise the comparison to Stockton and Malone wouldn't make much sense, right?
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,426
A 26yr old LeBron/Bosh joining Wade via free agency/S&T is not the equivalent of handing over a 26yr old Brown + Smart + picks for a 34yr old NBA Superstar Diva.
Conversely, the NBA is very different now because of that Miami trade. Brown being 26 years old barely matters anymore. He could stay, he could leave...we have no idea.

The only thing we DO know is that Brown would definitely be here for 2 more years and Durant would definitely be here for 4 more years. Additionally, if for some reason we needed to trade Durant, there would be some kind of package in return. However if we don't trade Brown this offseason for a top 5 player, I can't envision any situation where you trade him. So there is no option to get a return off of Brown if he wants out.
 

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
5,934
Cultural hub of the universe
Conversely, the NBA is very different now because of that Miami trade. Brown being 26 years old barely matters anymore. He could stay, he could leave...we have no idea.

The only thing we DO know is that Brown would definitely be here for 2 more years and Durant would definitely be here for 4 more years. Additionally, if for some reason we needed to trade Durant, there would be some kind of package in return. However if we don't trade Brown this offseason for a top 5 player, I can't envision any situation where you trade him. So there is no option to get a return off of Brown if he wants out.
Durant is under contract to NJ and he definitely won't be there for 4 more years.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,426
Durant is under contract to NJ and he definitely won't be there for 4 more years.
He wants to win titles and he shot his way out of 3 organizations. Could he make it 4? Sure. But I think it's very unlikely he does. At least not this year.

And if he were to in the future? Again, we get some kind of recoup in a trade. If we don't trade Brown this offseason, there will be no recouping of assets if/when he walks out the door.

Is there any evidence that Durant has any interest in joining the Celtics? If not, this all seems kind of pointless.
Durant doesn't have a no trade clause. He won't sit out, and the front office is one of the most stable in sports. I'm comfortable saying he'd still play and be content for the short term.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
That could certainly happen. One window closes and maybe a new one opens.

But obviously we were talking about a Boston team with its current stars. Otherwise the comparison to Stockton and Malone wouldn't make much sense, right?
Right but if Brown leaves, the C's still have prime Tatum. Tatum matters much more to the team's success than Jaylen Brown and is the far harder player to replace.

At the right price, I make the trade because it improves the window now. Team has more control over what happens next year than 2 years from now, never mind 4 or 5. I wouldn't trade a boatload of picks because the C's do need some assets, but I'm not going to worry too much about what the team looks like 4 years from now. Granted Brown would be in 2 but even that's an eternity.

I'm also quite convinced that the C's could get Brandon Ingram to sign here after 24/25 if Jaylen Brown does leave. Him and Tatum got some serious bromance going on when you watch the games and they have the whole Duke connection. So that plays into my decision making too, but that's "predicting the future." So I'd still do Brown+ for Durant, depending on the plus. They'll also have the option to sign players when Durant leaves.

Long story short, as long as Tatum is here, I don't think there's any window closing. I like Jaylen Brown but I don't think he's that hard to replace value wise. I also don't see him taking any material leap because I'm a "treat them as if they are all generic and go with what the numbers say" guy but I get the argument for Brown. If they keep Jaylen Brown and he does leave, I'm going to assume they'll replace him and the window will stay open. At least I hope that's what the plan would be. To make Tatum happy. Ingram would do that, and they happen to be up the same year (though Tatum has a player option). That could be good or bad. If they go the Durant route, they'll probably do the best they can to replace Durant and end up with someone closer to Brown.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,921
Durant doesn't have a no trade clause. He won't sit out, and the front office is one of the most stable in sports. I'm comfortable saying he'd still play and be content for the short term.
Then why don’t the Nets keep him? The recent history of this league is that contracts don’t matter; players will make life difficult for teams that don’t want them, so teams move them to where they want to be. If Durant is sent to a place he doesn’t want to be, I have a really hard time seeing how it works out for anyone.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Then why don’t the Nets keep him? The recent history of this league is that contracts don’t matter; players will make life difficult for teams that don’t want them, so teams move them to where they want to be. If Durant is sent to a place he doesn’t want to be, I have a really hard time seeing how it works out for anyone.
It's in the past, but Durant almost picked Boston before he went to GS.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

posts way less than 18% useful shit
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2010
14,426
Then why don’t the Nets keep him? The recent history of this league is that contracts don’t matter; players will make life difficult for teams that don’t want them, so teams move them to where they want to be. If Durant is sent to a place he doesn’t want to be, I have a really hard time seeing how it works out for anyone.
I can't speak for Nets management, but they very well might keep him. I'd bet on him starting the season with Brooklyn over being elsewhere.

Which, again, goes to the point that he's under contract and he's going to play for whatever team owns his rights. He can sulk all he wants. But if asks out of Brooklyn, I can't envision him pouting because it wasn't to his favorite destination.

If he wants out and the Nets oblige, then he got his request and he should be happy.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
I can't speak for Nets management, but they very well might keep him. I'd bet on him starting the season with Brooklyn over being elsewhere.

Which, again, goes to the point that he's under contract and he's going to play for whatever team owns his rights. He can sulk all he wants. But if asks out of Brooklyn, I can't envision him pouting because it wasn't to his favorite destination.

If he wants out and the Nets oblige, then he got his request and he should be happy.
He's also not at that age where he can just miss a season. He has only a handful left.
 

the moops

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 19, 2016
4,700
Saint Paul, MN
Durant guarantees nothing but shortening the Championship window.
It does not automatically do this at all. 1) We have no idea if Durant at age 36 is any worse than Jaylen Brown. And I use age 36, because that is how old he will be when Jaylen is up for a new deal - which leads to 2) We have no idea if Jaylen is going to re-up or if not, we have no idea if the team he wants to go to will have cap space or will need a S+T to make it happen.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,112
Santa Monica
You could have saved a bunch of words by simply saying “I don’t like Kevin Durant.” Instead, you called him sensitive, prickly and a diva in less than two paragraphs without acknowledging the obvious fact that even the current version of Kevin Durant is a much better player than Jaylen Brown. You spoke of odds: A Brown/White/picks trade for Durant would increase the Celtics odds in Vegas, and probably by a decent amount. As for the enduring myth that “Boston is a tough place to play for guys like ______,” I’ll bet that if Durant performs to his expected level, he’ll be just fine.

Stockton and Malone had ten 50+ win seasons together but never won a single title. Their window was extremely long and they ended up with nothing to show for it. I would hate for that to happen to Jaylen and Tatum.
These Celtics have more in common with the 2000-era Spurs than the Utah Jazz. BUT every team, situation, era, etc is different so it's pointless to start predicting what they will be 10yrs out.

At the very least, Jaylen Brown has financial incentives to stay in Boston in 2yrs.

I like KD, he's an All-Time great, but he comes with red flags when dealing with the media/public (which basically coddles him 24/7). I wouldn't expect him to like playing in Boston, even if they won (see GSW nirvana). He also listed his preferred destinations, Miami & Phoenix. The Celtics weren't listed even though they just made the Finals & have the obvious pieces to land him.

2 seconds on Google yields this stuff w/KD:

https://www.sportscasting.com/kevin-durant-admits-he-still-uses-burner-accounts-3-years-after-getting-embarrassingly-caught/

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/kevin-durant-free-agency-media-reaction-reporters-warriors-nba

https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/kevin-durant-calls-out-jackie-macmullan-over-her-report-about-kds-career-goals.html
 

kazuneko

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 10, 2006
2,816
Honolulu HI
These Celtics have more in common with the 2000-era Spurs than the Utah Jazz. BUT every team, situation, era, etc is different so it's pointless to start predicting what they will be 10yrs out.

At the very least, Jaylen Brown has financial incentives to stay in Boston in 2yrs.

I like KD, he's an All-Time great, but he comes with red flags when dealing with the media/public (which basically coddles him 24/7). I wouldn't expect him to like playing in Boston, even if they won (see GSW nirvana). He also listed his preferred destinations, Miami & Phoenix. The Celtics weren't listed even though they just made the Finals & have the obvious pieces to land him.

2 seconds on Google yields this stuff w/KD:

https://www.sportscasting.com/kevin-durant-admits-he-still-uses-burner-accounts-3-years-after-getting-embarrassingly-caught/

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/kevin-durant-free-agency-media-reaction-reporters-warriors-nba

https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/kevin-durant-calls-out-jackie-macmullan-over-her-report-about-kds-career-goals.html
Yeah, that last one about his reaction to McMullen and Williams is really bad. What a thin-skinned Asshole. He goes out of his way to blast a reporter whose crime was saying he wanted to win 3 championships with Brooklyn? It also seems like he reads every little thing written about him. This is a guy who might actually hate playing in Boston..
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,112
Santa Monica
It does not automatically do this at all. 1) We have no idea if Durant at age 36 is any worse than Jaylen Brown. And I use age 36, because that is how old he will be when Jaylen is up for a new deal - which leads to 2) We have no idea if Jaylen is going to re-up or if not, we have no idea if the team he wants to go to will have cap space or will need a S+T to make it happen.
I was replying to the comment that KD "banks you 1 or 2 more rings"

But agree there are zero "guarantees" in regards to NBA contracts/injuries/play over the next 4-6yrs
 

pjheff

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2003
1,296
Jaylen Brown types actually sign with Boston during FA too. No trades required.

Al Horford, Kemba, Gordon.

That's not to say Jaylen Brown won't leave, just that the C's will be able to replace him if they have cap space.
Will they have cap space? They’re already committed to over $111M for ‘24-‘25 without Jaylen, and that figure does not include potential extensions to current rotation players (Grant, Al, etc.).
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Will they have cap space? They’re already committed to over $111M for ‘24-‘25 without Jaylen, and that figure does not include potential extensions to current rotation players (Grant, Al, etc.).
They will after 24/25.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,205
Yeah, that last one about his reaction to McMullen and Williams is really bad. What a thin-skinned Asshole. He goes out of his way to blast a reporter whose crime was saying he wanted to win 3 championships with Brooklyn? It also seems like he reads every little thing written about him. This is a guy who might actually hate playing in Boston..
From afar, it seems like Durant's disdain is his resting position and that its not limited to those irritating him at any given moment. The NBA on TNT panel, beat reporters and bloggers have all caught some of his fire.

In short, he seems generally unhappy with anything NBA related but playing basketball. Fortunately, he seems to do that really well regardless of his locale.
 

chilidawg

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 22, 2015
5,934
Cultural hub of the universe
Seems clear what Tatum would like to see: "“Chemistry is half the battle. I feel like you can have a great team with great talent, and not necessarily gel together. You guys saw we figured it out in January and never looked back...it’s a little different, knowing that we got to a certain point and was so close. And we’re excited to get back to that, get back to the group, because we’ve got unfinished business.

https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/7/30/23285131/jayson-tatums-basketball-camp-has-everybody-talking-boston-celtics-jaylen-brown-kevin-durant
 

Smokey Joe

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2001
1,155
At the top of this thread there is a question. "Would you trade Jaylen+ for Durant?" 60% said no and that number hasn't changed much in the past week after Woj did the Nets a favor by pretending that the Celts had an active interest in trading for him.
There sure has been a lot of posts about it though. I did some reading and thinking about it and have come to the conclusion that I still would not do this trade.
Durant has averaged 45 games played per season over the last two seasons. He is 34 and not likely to magically become healthier. He has left two teams in his career because of hypersensitivity and conflict avoidance and he is on his way to leaving a third. At his last stop, he participated in getting a good coach fired so they could hire an inexperienced coach who would let him do what he wanted. He forced the team to sign a friend of his and start him a center, even though he clearly was not capable of starting any longer. Like many a super-duper star (Lebron) he has this gravity around him that warps how teams are run and how other players act that I feel is bad for the team for a whole.
He is entitled.
Jaylen Brown is no paragon of virtue, but he young, healthy, improving and he is well integrated into the team. He is also self-aware and not self-centered to the extent that Durant is.

Weeks ago I posted that I thought that Durant is toxic, but people didn't notice because he was standing next to Mr. Toxicity himself, Kyrie. I still feel that way and want no part of him.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
Yeah, that last one about his reaction to McMullen and Williams is really bad. What a thin-skinned Asshole. He goes out of his way to blast a reporter whose crime was saying he wanted to win 3 championships with Brooklyn? It also seems like he reads every little thing written about him. This is a guy who might actually hate playing in Boston..
Yeah I don’t think that anyone knows for sure whether Durant would be unhappy here or happy here. We have no idea whether his weird insta-twitter habits actually affect him personally or are just something that he does for a hobby.

I have no beef with anyone who handwaves away concerns about Durant dealing with the Boston fans and media. They could be right. But it's not crazy talk for you or ben or anyone else to bring it up. It's simply not. Mooch implying that bh is being disingenuous ("you may as well say that you don't like Durant") is off-base. It's fair to wonder that. It's also fair to think that KD is a grown man and can handle the pressure.
 

pjheff

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2003
1,296
They will after 24/25.
They *could*, if they decide to tear the roster down to three players while letting the contracts for Horford, Grant, Jaylen, Brogdon, White, and Gallinari expire without multi-year replacements for a potential championship contender. They are not operating as a team that *will*, however.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
They *could*, if they decide to tear the roster down to three players while letting the contracts for Horford, Grant, Jaylen, Brogdon, White, and Gallinari expire without multi-year replacements for a potential championship contender. They are not operating as a team that *will*, however.
It's all under the assumption Jaylen Brown walks so he wouldn't be an option anyway and Al Horford and Gallo are going to be gone by then regardless.

If they find the replacements before then, that's totally fine too. They will find replacements though, that's the point.
 

nighthob

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
12,678
They *could*, if they decide to tear the roster down to three players while letting the contracts for Horford, Grant, Jaylen, Brogdon, White, and Gallinari expire without multi-year replacements for a potential championship contender. They are not operating as a team that *will*, however.
There’s going to be a big cap boost coming in a couple of years. If anything it makes it easier for Boston to lock up this core as the odds are pretty good that Jaylen qualifies for a designated veteran deal which would allow Boston to pay him a lot more money than anyone else can.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,203
Lynn
One thing I will say, defenses would have a nightmare defending us with Tatum/KD. They had the 3rd and 4th highest blitz percentage in the league. We saw how many wide open threes all the blitzes on Tatum led to, imagine the pressure having both of them would put on other teams defenses.

Jaylen’s is 3.25%, FWIW.

53765
 

sezwho

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
1,951
Isle of Plum
It sounds like you're saying that team dynamics or players' feelings will be harmed by Brad not addressing internet trade rumors.

We don't know what conversations that Brad and Jaylen have had.
Apologies for the delayed post, but yes thats what I'm saying. if the season starts without clarification of Brown’s status I think it could negatively impact team chemistry. I trust Ime to keep heads on straight but Woj bombs are more than Internet rumor mongering to me, and it’s still a young team.

Unless the conversation was "hey Jaylen (or Smart/White/Grant(, its all BS boys we're running it back", I'm doubtful how much value the Brad conversation would have. Alternatively its some version of "Hey kid, I know we've been preaching about how the work and sacrifice and playing through pain will get your jersey in the rafters some day, but...I mean its Durant, right?".

I can post 'it's a business' as easily as they can tweet it, but internalizing that as a proud, competitive, thoughtful, young athlete could be something again. Wouldn't help this person would very likely be thinking they were coming back to summit NBA Everest not find a flat in Brooklyn. Ha.
 

lexrageorge

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
18,096
I think there is less than a zero percent chance that Steven and/or Ime haven't talked to Jaylen and the team about these rumors.
And the default expectation is that Stevens/Ime will keep the details of such conversations private, and literally nobody in the Woj/Shams circle of current NBA insiders will know anything about these conversations (neither will "insiders" such as Jermaine Wiggins, lol).
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
And the default expectation is that Stevens/Ime will keep the details of such conversations private, and literally nobody in the Woj/Shams circle of current NBA insiders will know anything about these conversations (neither will "insiders" such as Jermaine Wiggins, lol).
Well exactly.

If I had to bet money, it wasn't just Ime and Brad that reached out to Jaylen about these rumors. Good chance that ownership called to let him know how much they respect and appreciate him.

This "how can they leave Jaylen hanging in the wind" takes are preposterous.
 

dhellers

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2005
4,203
Silver Spring, Maryland
At the top of this thread there is a question. "Would you trade Jaylen+ for Durant?" 60% said no and that number hasn't changed much in the past week after Woj did the Nets a favor by pretending that the Celts had an active interest in trading for him.
There sure has been a lot of posts about it though. I did some reading and thinking about it and have come to the conclusion that I still would not do this trade.
Durant has averaged 45 games played per season over the last two seasons. He is 34 and not likely to magically become healthier. He has left two teams in his career because of hypersensitivity and conflict avoidance and he is on his way to leaving a third. At his last stop, he participated in getting a good coach fired so they could hire an inexperienced coach who would let him do what he wanted. He forced the team to sign a friend of his and start him a center, even though he clearly was not capable of starting any longer. Like many a super-duper star (Lebron) he has this gravity around him that warps how teams are run and how other players act that I feel is bad for the team for a whole.
He is entitled.
Jaylen Brown is no paragon of virtue, but he young, healthy, improving and he is well integrated into the team. He is also self-aware and not self-centered to the extent that Durant is.

Weeks ago I posted that I thought that Durant is toxic, but people didn't notice because he was standing next to Mr. Toxicity himself, Kyrie. I still feel that way and want no part of him.
The fact that KD looked quite human in the 4 game sweep has to mean something: such as KD is in the post-peak part of his career. That he no longer can dominate at will.

IOW: it is far from certain that KD is going to be better -- especialy in 2+ years -- than a healthy Jaylen?

Factoring in the existing "chemistry" that led to a game 6 of the Championships, and the enjoyment of watching a home grown team -- the benefits don't meet the costs.
 

the moops

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 19, 2016
4,700
Saint Paul, MN
The fact that KD looked quite human in the 4 game sweep has to mean something: such as KD is in the post-peak part of his career. That he no longer can dominate at will.
He still looked super human in that series to me. That BRK team had such inferior talent. He played an average of 44 minutes per game against the best defense in the NBA that did nothing but shift all help to Durant and he put up 26/6/6
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Apologies for the delayed post, but yes thats what I'm saying. if the season starts without clarification of Brown’s status I think it could negatively impact team chemistry. I trust Ime to keep heads on straight but Woj bombs are more than Internet rumor mongering to me, and it’s still a young team.

Unless the conversation was "hey Jaylen (or Smart/White/Grant(, its all BS boys we're running it back", I'm doubtful how much value the Brad conversation would have. Alternatively its some version of "Hey kid, I know we've been preaching about how the work and sacrifice and playing through pain will get your jersey in the rafters some day, but...I mean its Durant, right?".

I can post 'it's a business' as easily as they can tweet it, but internalizing that as a proud, competitive, thoughtful, young athlete could be something again. Wouldn't help this person would very likely be thinking they were coming back to summit NBA Everest not find a flat in Brooklyn. Ha.
If a team addressed every trade rumor during the trade seasons then Brad would spend more time on the phone with each player than with the other teams. Every player knows that they are pawns in the game of NBA executives during these times. Any conversation would likely be between the player and his agent rather than the player and his team. This is a part of the agents role.
 

lars10

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
11,612
He still looked super human in that series to me. That BRK team had such inferior talent. He played an average of 44 minutes per game against the best defense in the NBA that did nothing but shift all help to Durant and he put up 26/6/6
Jaylen averaged 23/5.3/4.3 in five less minutes of game time. He also had more blocks and steals. I realize the defenses aren’t the same obviously.. but Jaylen shot 20 less free throws.. had 10 less FG attempts.. had 10 less TOS..
and he’s 8 years younger.

My main question to those thinking about this trade.. how many productive years does KD have?

and the second major thing.. it’s not KD and Jaylen straight up… why would it be good to get rid of three decent players for one KD who will play about 45 games?