The Boston Celtics have to trade Jaylen Brown this summer.
That’s a bold statement that deserves a proper explanation. In short, Brown is an extremely talented player who had a career season as the No. 1 option in the absence of Jayson Tatum. Boston cannot bank their future on Brown being ok moving back to the second banana.
Jaylen Brown was individually great
Brown was well recognized for his individual brilliance this season. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He shot a league-leading 16 2-point shots per game and made 52.3 percent of them. He was named to the Second Team All-NBA and finished sixth in MVP voting.
What was Brown’s response? Not gratitude. Not humility. He was so frustrated that he didn’t make the First Team that he spoke to a media conspiracy against him. The idea that the current NBA media would be biased against a Boston player is laughable, but such was Brown’s desire for individual accolades.
The Celtics’ best player is Jayson Tatum, and he missed most of this past season recovering from a torn Achilles. Brown thrived in his absence, but it was unclear who was the top option when Tatum came back from injury. That tension went unresolved as the Celtics lost in the first round to the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
After that loss, what came out from Brown? That this was his favorite season of his career. Not winning the championship in 2024, or reaching the NBA Finals in 2022; losing in the first round in a year where Brown got a plethora or touches and points.
Jaylen Brown wants to be No. 1
Brown got a taste of being the top option, and he liked it. He almost certainly believes he should be the first option for Boston’s offense even with Tatum fully healthy next season. And that is a problem.
Bill Simmons popularized this issue: the Disease of More. Sports teams that find success start to gain friction. Role players think they should be starters. Starters think they should be stars. No. 2 options think they are MVPs.
Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP in 2024. He was a heliocentric star this past season and thrived. He is not insane for thinking he should be the top star, for the Celtics or another team. He is good enough to believe in his own greatness without being delusional.
The problem is that the Celtics have a star in Tatum who has proven to drive winning at the highest levels. Brown is not a problem for team success, but he doesn’t have the same impact on winning. The Celtics won a title because Tatum was their best player, and his defense, passing and scoring all combine into a very valuable player who truly drives winning
Boston can keep him around and hope things work out, but that is a recipe for disaster. Instead, the Celtics need to look to the trade market and make a big swing for another star who is ready to come in and play alongside Tatum — not over the top of him.
Jaylen Brown is great. He is just a little too aware of his own greatness now. And that is a problem.Â
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