If the Boston Celtics never made one of the most spectacular in-season comebacks to ascend to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, it is a legitimate thought that Jaylen Brown could be in a different uniform right now.
Ahead of trade season, Brown’s name was constantly linked to names like former Philadelphia 76ers/current Brooklyn Nets ball-handler Ben Simmons and Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins.
A team we didn’t hear as much about is the Miami Heat, though.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Heat were mentioned in the same conversations as those two franchises frequently:
"The Celtics had no intentions of exploring that scenario before this February’s deadline, but conversations increased around the league—and among people close to both players—about the likelihood of Boston revisiting that outcome this offseason. Losing can spark wandering eyes. If Philadelphia had not been able to unload Ben Simmons, Brown would have been near the top of the Sixers’ wish list. Atlanta and Miami were often mentioned by league figures as hopeful Brown suitors, too."
So that got us thinking…
What could the Boston Celtics have gotten from the Miami Heat for Jaylen Brown in a trade?
So, for context, Miami has been in the driver’s seat for a top seed in the Eastern Conference all season. They got surprise contributions from the likes of Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and Caleb Martin.
The Heat likely wouldn’t have offered the fairest piece in any swap (Bam Adebayo) and probably wouldn’t have made a win-now move for Brown if they also planned on shipping away veteran leaders like Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry.
Instead, Duncan Robinson’s salary and Tyler Herro’s potential would have been the pieces necessary to find a deal that worked for both sides.
With either P.J. Tucker or multiple salary fillers there to make the money work, such a trade could have been feasible–of course accompanied by plenty of draft compensation–had the Cs not shown improvement in January ahead of the February 10th trade deadline.