NBA rumors: 4 teams that blew it by not upping the ante for Kevin Durant
By Josh Wilson
Teams that blew it with Kevin Durant: Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics refused to move past their offer of Jaylen Brown plus draft picks. Reports seemed to hint that the inclusion of Marcus Smart might have moved the needle further, but Boston was unwilling to make that happen.
Between the 14 combined seasons between Smart and Brown, they have just one All-Star appearance. Combined, Smart and Brown create 0.23 win shares per 48 minutes. Durant nearly gets that on his own at .197.
Boston may have blown it, but they have pretty good odds of getting back in the discussion later on, such as at the trade deadline, if their gamble of going forward with what they presently have doesn’t work out and Durant becomes available again.
After all, they made marginal upgrades to their roster — Malcolm Brodgon and Danilo Gallinari — this summer and didn’t lose anything substantial, so they bring back the roster that took them to an NBA Finals plus a few extra pieces. Who’s to say that adding Durant wouldn’t put a hindrance on that built-up chemistry?