The further removed we get from the situation, the more the Jaylen Brown trade makes sense. And the reason that the market dried up and led Boston to take a deal from the hated 76ers that has been generally perceived as below market value is becoming clear. Zach Lowe alluded to it in a recent podcast, and Bill Simmons fueled the fire on his most recent podcast, claiming that Brown influenced which teams were in the mix.
“I think Jaylen’s side and his agent definitely, definitely sabotaged a couple possible teams. There’s no question… I think there were a couple teams that they were like, ‘Yeah, he’s not going to be happy if he goes there’… I think there were teams that backed off when they got the feeling.”
Simmons, even when pressed by his guest Joe House, refused to elaborate on which teams may have backed off, but among the rumored suitors, you can take your guess. But this information certainly makes sense; it helps explain why the Celtics decided to act when they did, assuming this wasn’t going to change, and brings into the light why the 76ers became the destination.
Frankly, there just weren’t that many teams that could even put together the combination of salary and picks to make a deal with Boston. Then, that team had to be able to justify a huge move for a player in his prime on a supermax contract. You’d also have to have enough talent left over to be a contender after the trade.
Limited pool of teams that could realistically trade for Jaylen Brown
Finally, we now know you also had to be a preferred, or at least acceptable, home for Jaylen Brown. He didn’t have a lot of leverage with three years left on his deal, but he can be a disgruntled employee, refuse an extension, demand a trade, or be an overall malcontent.
Based on everything we know about Jaylen, it’s hard to imagine he would take that course of action, but obviously it’s not a risk teams wanted to take, and paying a supermax to a guy who you know doesn’t want to be there really just doesn’t sound like a great time in general for anyone involved.
So, the market was depleted, the cat was out of the bag, and the best offer on the table, at the end of the day, was from the Sixers. The Celtics wanted to move the contract. They didn’t think offers would get better, and JB was influencing the market. They obviously didn’t want to see him take up as much salary and usage as he has in recent years, choosing to build around Jayson Tatum and depth instead.
You can still hate the trade all you want, but Brad Stevens and the Celtics believe this will be the best path forward for the organization. They decided the time to trade JB was now, and a year from now, this may end up looking like a sell-high. That’s the bet they are making, and so far, most of their bets have been winners.
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