NBA Rumors: Celtics Almost Traded Jaylen Brown For Kevin Durant In 2022

While he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant requested a trade during the Summer of 2022. He remained on the team until the NBA trade deadline in 2023, when the Nets sent him to the Phoenix Suns for a haul of assets. But that was after a possible trade with the Boston Celtics fell through, which would have included Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.

NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Was Nearly Traded To Boston In 2022

During an appearance via audio on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, NBA insider Shams Charania was asked about Durant’s current situation and his options going forward. He brought up the Celtics, and talked about a time when the two sides were interested in a union.

Shams ended up going into detail, saying that Boston offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a first round pick in a package to entice the Nets, a proposal that was eventually turned down.

The deal certainly would have changed the NBA landscape as we know it today. The Celtics were coming off of their first Finals appearance since 2010, which was a six game defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. They were apparently willing to trade Brown, who had just finished his 6th season with the team, in order to try to make it over the hump. Things ended up working out for Boston, as Brown was named Finals MVP in 2024 when the Celtics finally broke through and won the championship.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly rejected a package of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a first-round pick for Kevin Durant in 2022, per @ShamsCharania

(Via @PatMcAfeeShow / h/t @GormanChristoph ) pic.twitter.com/iquIjo124y

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 3, 2025

Would they still have won if they had pulled the trigger on the Durant trade? Or perhaps been even more successful? During the 2023 Playoffs, was upset by the Miami Heat in seven games, and Brown’s struggles were pointed to as one of the reasons for failure. His scoring average dropped to under 20 points per game, and he shot an abysmal 16% from behind the arc for the series.

That same year, Durant averaged 29 points per game and shot the three ball at a 33% clip in two playoff series.

The Celtics kept their core, and have a title to show for it. Things went the other way for Kevin Durant and the Suns, who have gone backwards in terms of playoff success during his three years with the team. Phoenix is in danger of missing out on the postseason altogether for the current NBA season, while the Celtics remain one of the title favorites overall.