Grade the Trade: Should Celtics send Jaylen Brown to Warriors?

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors and Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors and Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
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Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

What a Jaylen Brown to Warriors trade might look like

For the Boston Celtics to talk themselves into trading Brown, they need to be able to make a credible argument that they would have a better chance at winning a title, either next season or in the short-term future. That means they need to replace Brown’s output on offense, either from incoming players or increased roles for players on the roster. Similarly, they need a defensive option on the wing to ensure they can continue to field a top-5 defense.

The Warriors have an interesting path to offering all of those things, and it would make the Celtics younger and give them a longer window to compete around Tatum. Here is what such a trade could look like:

The Warriors would push their chips in for a truly dynamic five-man lineup next season. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jaylen Brown, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green is a fearsome group, and if Brown re-signs they would be both cripplingly expensive and dangerously potent. That group could contend for a title for the next couple of seasons.

It’s a lot to offer for Brown, but that’s likely what it takes for a wing as accomplished as Brown, even if he has a few warts. For Boston, does this haul meet their needs enough for them to pull the trigger?