Jayson Tatum plays down Kevin Durant to Celtics trade rumours: ‘I love our team’

Jayson Tatum has played down rumours of a blockbuster trade that would send Kevin Durant to the Boston Celtics, stating that he loves his current team and questioned the validity of the report.

Tatum was present at the premiere of the Showtime movie Point Gods in New York City on Tuesday, which Kevin Durant is credited as an executive producer on and also attended.

The 24-year-old was asked about the rumours surrounding a potential move for Durant, as well as what he would make of the addition after playing with the Nets star during the Tokyo Olympics for Team USA.

Jayson Tatum on rumors of #Celtics interest on Kevin Durant #Nets

He like the Celtics as they are pic.twitter.com/6VnGZNh98d

— Jared Schwartz (@jschwartz115) July 26, 2022

Tatum tried his best to distance himself from the question of what he thought about the reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania, saying: “I don’t make anything of it, I just play basketball.”

“I’ve played with him during the Olympics,” the three-time All-Star said. “He’s a great player. That’s not my decision. I love our team. I love the guys that we got. I don’t know if that report is true or not.”

The Boston Celtics are fresh off the back of their first trip to the NBA finals since 2010, and have added Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to one of the strongest rosters in the league ahead of next season.

Trading for Durant would be seen as a ‘win now’ move from Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, instead of remaining with the current young core which has the potential of contending for championships for the next decade.

Tatum’s relationship with Jaylen Brown, who would feature as the main piece heading to Brooklyn in the event of a trade, has been heavily scrutinised by the media for years in regards to the pair’s on and off-court relationship.

Tatum and Brown fought through the noise this year and proved that they can be on a winning team together, leading many to believe that a trade involving Brown would most likely be off-limits with the guard eligible for a contract extension this fall.

Regardless of whether a trade happens or not, the Boston Celtics will remain as one of the NBA’s title favourites for the 2022-23 season and are poised to mount a strong challenge for an 18th Larry O’Brien trophy.