While the Kevin Durant trade rumors are rampant this summer, it’s unclear at this point where he could end up. But before this offseason, Durant was dangled by the Suns in talks at February’s trade deadline, though no deal materialized at the time.
However, turns out, back at the deadline, Durant had the Celtics in mind during those talks, per Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.
“There were rumblings at the trade deadline KD wanted to land with the Celtics or Knicks,” O’Connor wrote. “New York’s interest reportedly isn’t mutual anymore. Boston’s cap sheet and trajectory make that scenario highly unlikely.”
The feasibility of a Durant trade to Boston in February was not a realistic one, despite Durant’s reported wishes. The Celtics and Suns were both second apron teams during the 2024-25 season, so both teams would not have been able to aggregate salaries in a deal while above the second apron. A simple one-for-one player swap also would not have worked either because Durant made more money last season ($51 million) than anyone on the Celtics roster and Boston would not have been able to take back more money than they send out in the deal while over the second apron.
The Celtics only finished $5 million above the second apron last season, so the only way the Celtics could have entertained a Durant deal would have been to cut some salary first in a separate trade. In that scenario, it would have opened the door under NBA trade rules for a Durant trade to happen in theory. Boston would have had to move a member of their rotation for at least $5 million cost savings via trade to even open a door to a potential Durant swap. Obviously, that’s not something the Celtics were interested in doing midseason.
Durant has been linked to the Celtics in the past even before his Suns days, dating back to when he was still with the Nets. But no deal came together back then.
Now, the Celtics’ roster situation doesn’t make much sense to bring Durant into the organization. The C’s are looking to shed salary, and with Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon, they’ll naturally take a step back during the 2025-26 season.
Durant reportedly had three preferred destinations: the Heat, Spurs and Rockets. However, the Suns have appeared to not like any of trade packages being offered by those three team. The Timberwolves have reportedly been the most aggressive team pursuing Durant, which could be an interesting fit alongside Anthony Edwards.
The Durant trade domino is expected to be one of the first major ones to fall this offseason. Even though he’ll be 37 to start next season, it’s clear Durant can still impact the game at a high level. So it’s no surprise to see contenders who are potentially one piece away try to snag the future Hall of Famer.
But it’ll depend on at least a few factors. Durant only has one year and $54.7 million left on his contract. So any team dealing for him could want to lock him down long-term beyond just the 2025-26 season. Regardless, where Durant ends up can shake up the league significantly as his fate should be decided in the coming weeks.