Boston Celtics: Trade proposal lands 2022 All-Star starter

With Kevin Durant requesting a trade back in June, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown’s name has been in trade rumors all summer. Those rumors came to an end when Durant pulled his trade request back in August. The whole sage was very polarizing amongst Celtics fans, some wanting to pull the trigger on a swap, and others disgusted with the mere thought of taking a piece from Boston’s beloved young core.

Brown is only 25 years old and has grown as player in each of his six NBA seasons. Last season he averaged just under 24 points per game over 66 regular season outings. He even cracked the 50-point threshold against the Orlando Magic back in January. In the playoffs, Brown continued to be a force for Boston. In the second and third rounds he was extremely efficient from beyond the arc, shooting nearly 44% against the Milwaukee Bucks and 40% against the Miami Heat.

It’s definitely understandable why there was pushback from fans when his name was thrown around in trade rumors.

This weekend, Brown was mentioned in what could be the most bizarre proposal we’ve seen this summer. NBA Analysis Network put out an article containing trade scenarios for the league’s top contenders. Brown was thrown into a three-team deal that would send him to the Golden State Warriors.

The Boston Celtics would get Andrew Wiggins and a 2028 first round pick back from the Warriors as well as PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte would get Golden State’s 2026 first round pick as part of the deal. N.A.N’s James Piercy broke down his proposed trade scenario, saying:

"“This one is another double feature. At least, it features two contenders: whether it strengthens the Boston Celtics is a matter of debate. With that said, the Cs don’t likely get involved here unless Jaylen Brown is feeling alienated from the organization. After seeing his name in yet another trade rumor (albeit, for Kevin Durant) this summer, he may be.If the Celtics have a problem, this may be a viable solution. Wiggins isn’t as dynamic a shot-creator as Brown, but he replicates some of that skill, and he’s probably a better defender as well. Meanwhile, Washington adds another floor-spacing forward to an already deep Celtics rotation. Of course, the Golden State Warriors are the real winners here. Firstly, they avoid having to make a decision on Wiggins’ contract.This allows them to kick the can on their financial troubles – they’ll have to make choices about Brown and Draymond Green after the 2023-24 season. It extends their contention window by one year, and more importantly, it widens it. That’s a pretty good way to win the NBA’s arms race.”"

As crazy as the whole proposal is, at least Piercy acknowledges that it doesn’t make much sense from Boston’s point of view, that is unless Brown wants out. In that case, Wiggins would be a decent option to replace the California alum.

Brown is probably the better player but recency bias after Wiggins put on a show in the NBA Finals would put them at the same level for some fans.