Jayson Tatum reacts to Celtics’ reported offer for Kevin Durant originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown didn’t seem too pleased with the Boston Celtics reportedly offering him to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kevin Durant. But how did his teammate Jayson Tatum react?
The Celtics superstar was in New York City on Tuesday for the premiere of the Showtime documentary “Point Gods” and was asked to share his thoughts on the report.
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“I don’t think anything of it,” Tatum said, per a video posted by The New York Post’s Jared Schwartz. “I just play basketball.”
Does the idea of playing on the same team as Durant appeal to Tatum?
“I played with him during the Olympics,” he told reporters. “He’s a great player. But that’s not my decision. I love my team. I love the guys that we got. I don’t know if that report is true or not.”
As for his reaction to seeing Brown as the centerpiece in the reported offer for Durant, Tatum is taking the rumors with a grain of salt.
“I don’t believe everything I see on TV,” Tatum said. “I’ve seen some (expletive) on me that was a lie. You never really know what’s true or what’s not true.”
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Celtics have emerged as a “real threat” to land Durant in a trade. But unless they part ways with Brown, Marcus Smart, draft picks and potentially another rotation player, Brooklyn is unlikely to budge. The Nets reportedly turned down the Celtics’ initial offer of Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick.
Brad Stevens and the C’s still have plenty of time to work out a deal for the future Hall of Famer. If they pull out of the Durant sweepstakes and enter the season with the current group, it doesn’t seem like Tatum would be all that disappointed.