There appears to be a lot of attention being paid to Jaylen Brown in the wake of the Boston Celtics cleaning house in the front office and giving former head coach Brad Stevens control over player movement in his new President of Basketball Operations role.
Daily Knicks wants NY to acquire Brown in a deal. Hardwood Houdini has looked into the issue of whether it’s time to move on from the C’s second star.
My co-editor Mark Nilon even believes Brown could be the centerpiece in a deal that sends him to Portland in return for the league’s best point guard Damian Lillard.
But the words of former Boston Celtics center and current ESPN analyst Ryan Hollins particularly made my brow raise in curiosity:
"“Jaylen Brown scares me, because I think if he goes, Jaylen Brown is going to have a James Harden-like explosion,” Hollins told The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. “And I don’t think that he’s ever going to have that under [star teammate] Jayson Tatum. He can shoot, he can score. He can sink his hips into his crossovers, which means he moves as if he’s a guy who’s 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11. He’s got that type of mobility. And I think he could have a James Harden-like explosion, and it just may not happen with the Celtics."
The narrative of Brown being held back by the presence of Jayson Tatum has begun. What makes this extra interesting is the fact that new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has benched Brown before, making Marcus Smart the starter in 2018-19 at the 2.
Trading Brown is a distant, but plausible, possibility for the Boston Celtics.
Stevens isn’t going to move Brown for pennies on the dollar, though, and would likely only move him for an upgrade. Such a situation exists, though, where Brown could ascend to James Harden-level notoriety.
Here are the 2 realistic landing spots Jaylen Brown would be the #1 option on:
Portland Trail Blazers
Even if CJ McCollum sticks with the Trail Blazers after a Damian Lillard trade, he wouldn’t become the #1 option in Portland if they can strike a deal with the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown would ascend to that spot by nature of being a former top 3 pick and 2021 All-Star.
Rip City Project believes McCollum would be included in a deal for Brown, also including Marcus Smart, Anfernee Simons, and an unprotected future Portland first-rounder.
McCollum’s scoring ability slightly trails Brown’s, though, so such a deal probably isn’t plausible for the new President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. McCollum has had a much higher usage rate within the offense than Brown, but he has never reached the 24 point-per-game benchmark Brown reached this past season.
Who knows what Brown could do with extended stretches with the ball in his hands as much as McCollum has had.
Even as a secondary playmaker within the Cs offense, Brown has had more of an impact on the game than McCollum ever has in Portland. McCollum is a solid #2 or #3 option on a contender, but Brown could be the #1.
If the Boston Celtics reach an agreement for Lillard, Brown would be the new #1 in the City of Roses.
Washington Wizards
While the Houdini would love to see Jaylen Brown thrive in Minnesota following a hypothetical Karl-Anthony Towns deal, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell would cut into his touches significantly, putting him right back where he was in Boston.
We may not be completely sold on a Brown-for-Bradley Beal swap, but pretty much everyone else is. So, if Beal reunites with his fellow St. Louis native and Chaminade alum Jayson Tatum, Brown would inherit the freedom of being the de facto star in the nation’s capital.
One would assume that dealing Beal would mean that Russell Westbrook would be next to go, but even if he didn’t get dealt as well, Brown would be best to assume the role that Beal was leaving behind as the primary option.
Brown being surrounded by the likes of Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija would create a steady foundation for the Wizards to build on. Assuming they would be gaining a pick in the Beal deal, finding the remaining pieces in the draft is a possibility.
As is another All-Star joining Brown. Remember, he was not only part of the 2021 All-Star game, but he was also a member of the Team USA FIBA World Cup team in 2019.