How Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics Could Swing a Blockbuster Kevin Durant Trade

This might be even less likely than some form of a Brown-for-KD trade.

Trading Holiday or Derrick White in one move, just to get under the second apron, and then combining multiple salaries to get to Durant’s $54.7 million would leave Boston awfully shallow.

Beyond the second apron-ducking move, it would likely cost them one more big-money player (like Holiday, White or Kristaps Porziņģis) and both of Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, just to satisfy the salary-matching rules.

As interesting as the resulting “big three” of Jayson Tatum, Brown and Durant would be, there’s a reason that approach to team-building has fallen out of favor.

On top of the new restrictions on pricey teams that accompanied the current collective bargaining agreement, the “three stars and little to no depth” model hasn’t been as successful in recent years as “two stars and depth.”

Just look at the difference between this season’s Celtics and Suns if you need any convincing.

Phoenix going all-in (especially when it kind of already was all-in) on Bradley Beal is a big part of why the team has been so underwhelming this season. Boston, on the other hand, can seemingly overwhelm just about anyone with waves of versatility and shooting on any given night.