Kevin Durant wished to land with Celtics at commerce deadline

Celtics

The Celtics were reportedly at the top of Durant’s list of preferred destinations at the time.

One of most prolific scorers in NBA history wanted to join the Celtics around the trade deadline, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.

The Celtics didn’t acquire Kevin Durant then, and they probably can’t make the move now. But, Durant reportedly had a couple of preferred destinations in mind and one of them was Boston.

“In fact, Durant has already been denied by his top choices. There were rumblings at the trade deadline KD wanted to land with the Celtics or Knicks,” O’Connell wrote. “New York’s interest reportedly isn’t mutual anymore. Boston’s cap sheet and trajectory make that scenario highly unlikely.”

There are around six to eight teams who have “serious interest” in trading for Durant, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who added that the Heat, Spurs, and Rockets are among the teams Durant would like to join.

The Celtics probably aren’t one of them. They’re already deep into the luxury tax and could be without Jayson Tatum for a chunk of next year.

In fact, a recent report from NBA Insider Jake Fischer said the Suns are doing their homework on Kristaps Porzingis as the Celtics look to trim their roster.

Durant is still playing at a high level. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7 percent from the field. But, at age 36, he has a relatively short window to compete for more championships.

This isn’t the first time Durant has been linked to the Celtics. Danny Ainge enlisted Tom Brady to help recruit Durant in 2016. Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors instead. He won back-to-back titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018 and won Finals MVP both times.

The Nets acquired Durant in a sign-and-trade deal in 2019, and Phoenix acquired Durant from Brooklyn in a 2023 trade.

Now, he’s potentially on the move again as the Suns weigh their options. He’s been with four different franchises, and could be on his way to a fifth.

This summer could prove to be eventful for the Celtics and Durant, just in different ways.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.