Even though the team has done everything it could to keep him happy all these years, Kevin Durant wants out of Brooklyn. Earlier this offseason, the 33-year-old submitted a trade request that put the Nets in shambles.
However, it's been nearly two months since that happened. Many teams have been mentioned as possible landing spots for KD, but none of them were capable of making a reasonable offer for the Nets.
His departure has been taking so long that some even started to speculate that Durant could end up staying in Brooklyn, a possibility that seemed to fell apart when Joe Tsai did not yield to his ultimatum. The latest word on the street, though, is that there is a secret favorite to land Durant.
Rumor: The 'unofficial' front-runner to trade for Kevin Durant
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics are the 'unofficial' front-runners to strike a deal for the 12-time All-Star. As long as they offer a package centered around Jaylen Brown, they would be the most likely landing spot for KD.
"A Boston deal with Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece appears to be the unofficial front-runner here," Amick wrote. "Sources say the Nets are using the fact that the Celtics, and perhaps other teams have made their 2nd best player available as a baseline of sorts in negotiations."
The Celtics are among the most likely destinations for Durant, but they're not alone. Miami, Phoenix, and Philadelphia have also been linked with him, though they have yet to meet Brooklyn's demands. The Nets have no urgency to move him, but keeping a disgruntled star for long might not be the best strategy either.
