On the brink of Jaylen Brown’s first career NBA game against the Celtics, it’s safe to say he’s still upset with the organization. After all, he was nothing but loyal to Boston for a decade and gave them everything he had on and off the court. He never asked to be traded or expressed any dissatisfaction with the team or his situation.
Reports coming out on Tuesday morning from ESPN confirm that Brown found out he was being shopped in talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but told the Celtics he was still happy to return to the franchise. He was told that he was still going to be dealt anyway, though.
Brown told the Celtics that he wanted some say in where he would be traded, or at least to be kept in the loop, but he didn’t find out anything about the trade to Philadelphia until after the deal was finalized. There were no reports as to whether or not Brown was happy going to the Sixers, but it was clear that he had no say in the matter, and he feels betrayed and disrespected by the Celtics.
That’s fair and understandable, but at the end of the day, Brad Stevens has to do what he thinks is best for the Celtics. Jaylen was a great member of the team and the community, but Stevens can’t be thinking about his feelings or how he’s going to react. This was a business decision, and while it may seem cutthroat and ruthless, that’s how he had to operate.
Brad Stevens had to do what was best for the Celtics
Could he have given Brown more control over the situation and handled the interpersonal dynamics better? Perhaps. But would that have worked out better for the Celtics? Probably not. They were clearly shopping him all around the league and thought that the return from Philly of Paul George, a first, a first-swap, and two seconds was the best deal on the table, and that’s all that should matter.
In a perfect world, sure, it would have been nice to work with JB and send him to a destination of his choosing, but that obviously wasn’t on the table, and the market for him wasn’t what many had hoped. The notion that Brad and the Celtics should have risked taking a lesser deal out of respect for Brown is crazy and not based in reality.
This is a hyper-competitive league, and teams should be doing everything they can to gain every advantage they can. In this circumstance, that meant selling Brown to the highest bidder and risking the relationship, but that’s what had to happen. Now, the Celtics are better off, and while Brown may not be happy, he’s still getting his supermax contract, and he plays for a stacked team in a marquee city.
Hopefully, someday he’ll get over the grudge and return to Boston to be properly honored and respected, likely with his jersey going up into the rafters. But for now, he’s an enemy playing for a rival, and he has made it clear where he stands. The Celtics have done the same, and the fans need to fall in line and embrace this new reality. Stevens did what was best for the Boston Celtics, and that’s all you should want from an NBA executive.
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