The Boston Celtics will be a different team this coming season. No matter what they got back, trading Jaylen Brown changes everything. Not many were happy about what Boston got in return for him, but it's wild to think of how much different their roster would look had the Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to the trade Boston proposed for Brown.
That started with Rudy Gobert, but the dealbreaker was how much draft capital the Celtics wanted in return on top of Gobert. The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski revealed the full details of the discussions between Boston and Minnesota.
"The Wolves had talks with the Celtics about Jaylen Brown... Brown was intriguing, but the Celtics were asking for a king’s ransom that included Gobert and heavy draft capital. There were also debates about how Edwards and Brown would fit together as two ISO-heavy scorers on offense."
Instead, the Timberwolves pivoted towards LaMelo Ball. Boston was evidently asking for a lot, but if Minnesota had thrown caution to the wind, a lot would have changed this summer.
Getting Gobert means no Mitchell Robinson
Adding one of the league's best defensive centers both current and all-time would have meant there was no need to add someone like Robinson. Granted, Gobert and Robinson would have made for perhaps the greatest rebounding and rim protecting duo the NBA has ever seen, but Robinson signed with the Celtics because he'd have a bigger role paired with Neemias Queta.
Speaking of Queta, he also may not have been too keen on signing an extension if he knew he was going to be relegated to a backup role. After a breakout season that helped Boston get the No. 2 seed, it's not the best sign of confidence to know he would have been playing behind Gobert.
In case it hasn't been clear, the Celtics signed Robinson as a backup, like he was in New York. He's just a better cushion behind Queta in case the latter falls into reckless habits.
It also means Boston would have spent the non-taxpayers mid-level exception on someone else. With Gobert, Queta, Luka Garza, and even Chris Cenac Jr., the frontcourt would have been set. With the wings on the roser, Boston probably would have focused on adding another playmaker.
Speaking of wings...
No Paul George means Celtics don't have a surplus of wings
If Gobert was their main return instead of George, Boston's wing rotation wouldn't be as deep. It would likely mean Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. would get a closer look.
They probably will get that anyway with Boston likely planning to conserve George as much as possible, but George's presence means they won't be at the forefront (no, we didn't forget about Sam Hauser, but the Celtics know exactly what they will get out of him).
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the Celtics roster would look different without George. He's not prime PG, but he's still an impactful player.
Years from now, we may look back on what could have been. We may tell ourselves, "Boston should have come down on their asking price" or "Thank goodness they didn't take that." That's what dominos can do when the offseason is in full effect.
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