The pursuit of Kevin Durant has long eluded NBA teams, and the Boston Celtics were among the most aggressive suitors. The Celtics, somewhat famously, had the second-best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. They ultimately fell to No. 5, leapfrogged by the Blazers, Sonics and Hawks.
Greg Oden went No. 1 to the Blazers. Durant went No. 2 to the Sonics. Al Horford went third to the Hawks; Mike Conley went No. 4 to the Grizzlies and the Celtics had to settle for Jeff Green at No. 5. They're interest in Durant has reportedly never waned but they've never been able to reel him in as he's been traded from team to team.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, NBA insider Shams Charania shared that the Boston Celtics made a serious attempt to acquire Durant when he requested a trade back in 2022, presenting a deal that would have sent Jaylen Brown and Derrick White to Brooklyn for Durant.
"...they[Celtics] offered Jaylen Brown, they offered Derrick White, and a 1st round pick for KD..."
ā Chris Gorman (@GormanChristoph) April 2, 2025
-Shams Charnania[@ShamsCharania] via The Pat McAfee Show
š„š„š„
āØļøāØļøāØļø
Interesting....#NBA pic.twitter.com/zhMAsPYmtD
"There was a lot of mutual interest between Kevin Durant and the Celtics in the summer of 2022 when he asked for a trade," said Charania. "And I know you probably hate me saying this right now: they offered Jaylen Brown, Derek White, and a first-round pick. Brooklyn had said no, and they kept him, and then they ultimately traded him for a haul from Phoenix."
Imagine Kevin Durant on the Boston Celtics
Undoubtedly, this trade would have turned the league on its head. Kevin Durant joining a Celtics team looking for its first championships since 2008 would have made an enormous impact.
The Celtics were searching for the right superstar to pair with Jayson Tatum, even exploring the possibility of moving on from Jaylen Brown. Fortunately for the Celtics, they did not make the deal and have since gone on to win a championship.
Brown and White have been pivotal to their championship run from a season ago and continue contributing significantly to the team's success.
Durant eventually got traded to the Suns, where he's been since the 2022-23 season. He put together another great season in Phoenix, averaging 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Brown has been superb this season thus far, averaging 22.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. He's done a remarkable job building on his playoff run a season ago, where he capped off winning the NBA Finals MVP.