Tom Brady might be indirectly to blame for the Boston Celtics missing out on Kevin Durant during his high-profile free agency sweepstakes in 2016.
Rich Kleiman, Durant’s business partner, recounted on Showtime’s All the Smoke when the NFL legend arrived in East Hampton, New York, with the Celtics’ contingent.
At one point, Brady and Durant went on a walk and Brady advised KD to “look for the best team, best organization, best chance to win, no matter what.” Kleiman said Durant took that to mean the Warriors.
Incredible story about KD’s 2016 free agency recruitment from his business partner, @richkleiman.
Full episode of #AllTheSmoke with the @boardroom co-founder drops tomorrow on the SHOWTIME Basketball YouTube. 💨 pic.twitter.com/aeydM2g17o
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) September 27, 2023
Maybe Brady was attempting to use some form of reverse psychology, or perhaps he believed that strongly in a roster headlined by Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley and a rookie Jaylen Brown.
If that is indeed what the former New England Patriots star told Durant, then it seemed reasonable to conclude he was talking about the Warriors, though.
Golden State’s current core had already won a championship to that point and was coming off a 73-win season. No franchise was better suited to put Durant in a position to lift his first title.
And maybe Brady saw the writing on the wall in terms of the Celtics’ chances when he offered his piece of advice, guidance that was proven totally correct in retrospect.
Durant was a two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP with Golden State, and he might have had a third ring were it not for his Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
But let this be a lesson: Brady may not be the best advocate if you’re a team looking to land a marquee star.
