To Trade or Not To Trade
Boston/Durant
This is only tangentially related to the Spurs, but it *is* related, and so we will discuss it. Boston is thinking about trading Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, maybe Marcus Smart, and some picks for Kevin Durant. That seems reasonable, and something that would have been easily accepted maybe two seasons ago — before the ACL thing, and before BKLYN was easily dispatched by these same Celtics in the first round of these playoffs.
If age does not strike suddenly — and with the advancements in sports medicine, it strikes slower than ever — it does work its magic. Kevin Durant was once a singular presence, and now he is merely formidable. He can be counted on to play a good number of games, and impact the matchup and probably win a series or two. It is easy to imagine the Celtics vs Warriors looking different if Jaylen Brown were instead Kevin Durant.
It is also easy to see how it wouldn’t have mattered as much if Marcus Smart and Derrick White were not there to harass the Dubs here and there. The Warriors won going away, but Boston was up 2-1, and very nearly won the whole thing. I can see the argument about how close they were, and how making a change here would put them over the top. However, consider how close they were and how simply running it back (with Brogdon) can be just as smart.
Jaylen Brown is not as good as Kevin Durant, but he might fit the C’s better than KD, simply because of the context. He had a better Finals than Tatum, and it is worth asking whether they couldn’t trade JT for KD and keep the guy that met the moment.
Of course, in the light of July, that sounds silly. Tatum is better than Brown and his life would be easier with a KD to do the things that Tatum couldn’t (finish, create shots for himself with fewer than 12 dribbles) and that might make the whole thing work that much better.
If it were me, I would trade Brown, and White, and a few picks. I would not trade Smart, as he is the soul of the defense, and brings a hunger and grit that is needed for winning when the chips are down and the odds are against you.
If we have re-learned anything in the past half-decade it is that talent is important, but team-building is as well. Stacking stars is not a fail-proof endeavor, and the Nets know very well that breaking up a cohesive team for stars can make you miserable.