The Boston Celtics are in the perfect position to repeat as NBA champions. They enter Friday’s action with a 54-19 record and have an outside chance at catching the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With most of the playoffs likely to be played at TD Garden, there’s a great chance that Boston could return to the NBA Finals or even win the whole thing. But there’s another dynamic if they come up short.
A new owner throws a wrinkle into the Celtics’ offseason plans and there could be a big splash on the way. It could be why a wild rumor has begun to spread and could send shockwaves across the NBA this summer.
Celtics Could Target Kevin Durant in Mammoth Trade This Summer
Nick Wright of FOX Sports stirred the pot earlier this week when he suggested the Celtics could target Kevin Durant this summer. The blockbuster speculation came from “two unrelated sources” that Wright has connected with and could swing a massive deal in the coming months.
“Two totally unrelated people, both of whom have reputations for knowing things that other people don’t know have said to me ‘Watch out for Durant in Boston,’” Wright said on FOX Sports’s First Things First. “It doesn’t even make [sense.] I don’t know how even the pieces would work, and it feels a lot like what Durant got killed with Golden State before. So it doesn’t make sense.”
The statement was crazy as it felt like Wright was walking back his rumor as he was throwing it out there. But a deeper look could make a deal more realistic if the Celtics don’t win the NBA title.
The Celtics were just sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion and new owners love to make a big move. Durant was one of owner Mat Ishbia’s first moves when he bought the Phoenix Suns in 2023 but it hasn’t resulted in deep runs into the playoffs as his team lost in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2023 and in the first round of the playoffs last season.
If Chisholm were to bring Durant to Boston, it would generate the same buzz across the NBA. But it also comes with some hurdles. The Celtics currently have a projected payroll of $230 million for next season and would put them well over the collective bargaining agreement’s second apron, subjecting them to roster-building penalties.
One notable penalty is that the Celtics can’t aggregate salaries in a trade while in the second apron. That would eliminate the possibility of cobbling up Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and a few draft picks to bring Durant to Boston. But it would also mean that the Celtics would probably have to trade Jayson Tatum ($54.1 million salary in 2025-26) or Jaylen Brown ($53.1 million) to load Durant’s $54.7 million salary onto the roster.
Tatum isn’t getting traded – even if the Celtics get bounced early in the playoffs. Brown is a bigger possibility but is also entering the prime of his career, averaging 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season.
That reality likely nixes a trade that is more common in fantasy basketball. But if the Celtics come up short in the playoffs, it could be something to keep an eye on.