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Boston Celtics: Pros and cons of a Jaylen Brown/Gordon Hayward for Ben Simmons swap

By Andrew Hughes

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 1: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers is defended by Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics in the first half at TD Garden on February 1, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 1: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers is defended by Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics in the first half at TD Garden on February 1, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /
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Traction has been gained in recent weeks about a Jaylen Brown/Gordon Hayward for Ben Simmons swap. Does such a deal make sense for the Boston Celtics?

Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently wrote a piece about “Bizzaro World” NBA trades and the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers were among the teams included in his list of game-changing trades.

In the piece, Buckley proposed a large-scale swap that included six players and a first round draft pick. The most notable names in the proposed deal were Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Ben Simmons.

The idea was to break up the Simmons/Joel Embiid duo, and in doing so, all but completely reshuffled the rotation of both teams. While the deal can be configured in a number of ways with a slew of potential moving parts, the most important players on both teams are two 2016 top 3 draft picks.

For the Sixers, Buckley saw the floor opening up getting rid of the poor 3-point shooting Simmons:

"The Sixers reset their wing rotation with Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, who can wreak havoc in the open court but are also capable of playing at a more controlled pace. Their ability to downshift will let Embiid get comfortable, and their shooting threat—both cleared 38 percent from deep this season—will give him more room to operate, a scary thought when he’s already a 91st percentile post-up player while working in tight quarters."

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics would create the league’s newest “Big 3”:

"The Celtics snag the best player in the deal with Simmons, who is already a defensive menace and an advanced creator (career 8.0 assists per game). Slot him alongside Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, and Boston just won the race to assemble basketball’s next Big Three. The pick-and-roll potential of all three is tremendous, especially since Simmons—already an elite interior finisher—will have a much clearer runway."

The justification is sound but ultimately the question is whether or not this deal would benefit the C’s. Today, the Houdini investigates the pros and cons of such a large scale swap:

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