When the return for Jaylen Brown was reported, a lot of the reaction assumed that there had to be another move coming. Surely there was no way that the Celtics turned their second-team All-NBA superstar into an aging, injury-prone Paul George, one first-rounder, a swap, and two seconds. But that’s what happened.
As time went on, the speculation turned into thinking about another big move coming down the line. Now, the team has a massive PG contract that will be an expiring deal next summer. The general assumption seems to be that the Cs will go all in, using George’s contract and their draft assets to get the next star to play next to Jayson Tatum.
The logic makes sense, and just this week, both Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe have referenced this idea on their respective podcasts, saying the JB trade was really the deal before the deal, and that it’s the next move that will really determine how the next era goes for the franchise.
Trading Paul George for a star shouldn't be a foregone conclusion
But are we sure that’s the case? I no longer think that should be a foregone conclusion. The more time passes, the more I’m convinced that they really value George and love the way he fits in with this team. Yes, he’s overpaid, but he could opt out and extend at a lower number next summer, and even if he opts in, the Celtics won’t be pressing to get under the tax.
More than setting up the next blockbuster, this trade may have just as easily been about resetting the deck and creating a team that makes more sense around JT. George is a big part of that, and if he extends, it won’t be a gargantuan chunk of the cap like Brown’s deal would have been.
Celtics value depth and sustainability
Instead, Brad Stevens can keep all of his young role players and sustain the depth and versatility on the roster. A lot of these guys who were so critical to the team’s success last season would have become casualties in the years to come with Brown and Tatum taking up 70% of the cap, but with PG coming off the books, or at least taking a much smaller contract, they’ve already been able to re-up with Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr.; they can focus on locking up Payton Pritchard next month and turn their eyes to Baylor Scheierman and Derrick White next summer.
They can certainly keep improving on the margins, just like they did by signing Mitchell Robinson to the mid-level exception, but I think it’s foolish to assume they have their sights set on bringing in another max-contract star as soon as they get the chance. If the right player becomes available, absolutely.
But as things stand, I don’t think it’s a given. I take Brad at face value when he says he really likes this roster and values the depth and sustainability. I think there’s a chance they exceed expectations this year in a big way, and more or less, this is the foundation of the team that’s going to compete for titles for the rest of Tatum’s prime.
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