In a jaw-dropping revelation that could have completely rewritten the narrative of the 2025 NBA season, it’s now been confirmed that Kevin Durant was on the brink of joining the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline. Yes, you read that right—the former MVP and two-time NBA champion almost suited up in green and white, and the talks reportedly got closer than ever before.
Boston’s infatuation with Durant is nothing new. In fact, it dates back nearly two decades, to the 2007 NBA Draft. The Celtics were salivating over the possibility of landing the number one overall pick that year. “If we had it, we would’ve taken Durant without a doubt,” former Boston GM Danny Ainge once asserted. Instead, Boston ended up with the fifth pick—and the dream fizzled before it began. But the Durant-Celtics connection never truly died.
Fast forward to the 2025 trade deadline, and whispers around the league suggest that the dream was dangerously close to becoming reality. According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, Durant had expressed genuine interest in a move to Boston. Even more stunning—he also eyed the New York Knicks. However, after the Knicks’ impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals, their front office apparently cooled off on any Durant pursuit.
As for the Celtics, their situation was far more tangled. Despite Durant’s interest, Boston’s front office ran up against a cold, hard truth: money talks—and cap space silences. With the Celtics already deep into the second apron of the luxury tax, executing a trade would’ve required some serious maneuvering. The only viable option? Offloading both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to the Suns in a stunning multi-team arrangement. But that’s where reality slapped the Celtics back to earth.
Because both Phoenix and Boston are mired in the second apron, any trade involving Durant would have required perfect salary symmetry. Every dollar had to match—a logistical and financial nightmare. And with Holiday and Porzingis carrying significant contracts, the puzzle proved too complex to solve in the final days of the deadline.
To make matters murkier, Durant may want a change of scenery, but the Suns aren’t obligated to honor his preferences. They could very well ship him to the highest bidder, regardless of his wishlist. That raises the question: will a non-preferred team pony up a blockbuster offer to land the superstar?
Durant’s numbers this past season still reflect elite status—26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game—while shooting an efficient 52.7% from the field and a deadly 43% from beyond the arc. Yet his time in Phoenix has been marred by injury struggles and underwhelming postseason results, leaving fans and analysts alike wondering what’s next.
Meanwhile, Boston’s attention now turns inward. With Kristaps Porzingis’ trade value in flux and Jrue Holiday’s role potentially shrinking, it’s clear the Celtics are eyeing some serious retooling. But the near miss with Durant? That’s the kind of “what if” that will echo in TD Garden for years.
In the end, Durant in green was just inches from becoming reality. And although the trade didn’t go through, the fact that it nearly did should be a wake-up call to every front office in the league: even the wildest NBA rumors sometimes come frighteningly close to the truth.
