The Boston Celtics were not part of the Kevin Durant trade, but the deal may have quietly reshaped their offseason.
The C’s were never directly involved in the swap that sent Durant to the Houston Rockets and Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, plus the No. 10 pick to the Phoenix Suns.
But the fallout could shape what comes next for a team already bracing for possible exits by Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
The Rockets had been one of the few teams that checked every box as a potential Holiday destination, as noted by Oliver Fox of Celtics Blog. Houston had the cap space, win-now urgency, and young assets to make a deal work. That window now appears closed.
It’s unlikely Houston completed the deal without envisioning an extension for Durant, who will be a free agent after this season. That all but rules out the Rockets now absorbing Holiday’s sizable contract.
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Holiday and Porzingis remain the Celtics’ most logical trade chips, but few obvious trade partners remain. The Durant trade also makes a larger shakeup, like shopping Jaylen Brown, far less likely.
Houston had both the assets and flexibility to pull off a blockbuster for Brown if it chose to, but chose a different path.
The San Antonio Spurs remain a theoretical landing spot for Brown given their cap space and rebuild timeline. But with Houston out of the picture, the Celtics may be left without a truly serious suitor for their All-NBA wing.
Complicating matters further, the overall tone of the trade market appears to be shifting. The return Phoenix got for Durant—just one first-round pick—could signal that league executives are cooling on blockbuster trade packages.
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If Boston hopes to reduce payroll or reset its core, navigating this new landscape will take creativity. The Durant deal answers a few questions but raises even more for the Celtics.