Did Brad Stevens and the Celtics completely botch the Jaylen Brown situation? In the moment, it certainly feels that way. A few weeks ago, the Celtics were ready to move forward with the best two-way duo in the NBA of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Then it quickly became clear that the Celtics were trying to trade Brown and upgrade to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then, it appeared the team was still shopping Brown, hoping to get back a haul of draft picks and young players. And now, finally, on July 1st, the Celtics have dumped Jaylen Brown to the hated 76ers for Paul George and only two uninspiring first-round picks and two second-rounders.
How did this happen?
Surely, more details will come out, and we’ll learn a lot more about this situation, but it sure looks like the Celtics and Brown agreed to part ways after the season. Boston was motivated to get off of his contract, wanting no part of a coming extension, and Stevens was inclined to take the best offer, ship Brown away, and move forward before things potentially became ugly.
Breaking up the Jays for a washed Paul George a bad look
Maybe this somehow works out. Maybe Stevens has a master plan. But this is an awful look, to break up one of the most successful duos in franchise history, seemingly by choice, to bring back a 36-year-old Paul George who’s set to make over $110 million over the next two seasons (2027-28 is a player option for $56.6 million.
It’s a pathetic return for the 2024 Finals MVP, and even if it somehow works out, it’s going to be hard to say that Stevens and the Celtics maximized value by trading the man who just finished 6th in MVP voting. Again, we don’t know the details, but it seemed like there was a deal to be made for Giannis, or at least for Evan Mobley, or Jalen Duren, or Trey Murphy III, or even Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday.
But alas, the Celtics got none of those things. They got a worse, older, often injured player at the same position and with a similar contract. They got only two first-round picks that don’t even appear to have great value. The team is worse than it was a few hours ago, and that’s hard to stomach with Jayson Tatum in the heart of his prime.
Brad Stevens misplayed the situation and overplayed his hand. He’s taking a massive gamble and one that could ultimately define his legacy as president of the Celtics. That may sound harsh, but when you trade someone this iconic, those are the stakes. In Brad we trust? The jury is out.
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