By now, everyone should get with the program that Jaylen Brown is no longer with the Boston Celtics. They bet big, believing Joe Mazzulla was the more valuable asset than Brown. Now it's on him and the team to prove Brad Stevens was right. What hasn't come up among all the Brown hoopla is that there could have been a reality where Boston never had him. Or Jayson Tatum for that matter.
Everyone knows the Celtics tried to trade Brown multiple times before they eventually pulled it off, but what many don't know is that Boston was willing to trade the very pick that became Brown in exchange for Jimmy Butler back in 2016, but they said no.
Boston passed because they believed Chicago was asking for way too much, since the Bulls wanted the Celtics to include the Nets pick the following year (that would go on to become Tatum) in addition to the No. 3 pick.
That is a fair point, but we must remember what else Boston's intentions were that summer: to sign Kevin Durant. Everyone knows the Celtics made a pretty strong pitch to Durant back in 2016 before he joined Golden State, a decision he still defends to this day.
Maybe he would have chosen to Boston if he knew they had a reliable co-star like Butler by his side.
Acquiring Butler could have swayed Durant
Boston was in the Durant derby in the first place not just because Stevens had asserted himself as one of the NBA's best basketball minds, but because they managed to sign Al Horford, someone who Durant (supposedly) wanted to play with.
Everyone's right to say Boston caving to Chicago's demands for Butler would have been too much by itself, but would it have been that bad if acquiring Butler and signing Horford led to Durant joining forces with them?
Such a move would have put the Celtics squarely in the title conversation. Horford made a better name for himself in Boston despite his traditional stats, while Butler and Durant may have worked wonders as a one-two punch in Boston.
The Jays era may have never happened (at least in Boston), but it is worth pondering if the Celtics would have had more titles with Durant-Butler-Horford instead of Tatum-Brown-Horford. Better yet, maybe Stevens doesn't make that transition to the front office and stays as a coach. Maybe Miami doesn't become a thorn in Boston's side with Butler wearing green and white instead of red and black.
Let's be fair about this. This scenario may have crossed Danny Ainge's mind at the time, and his decision not to pull the trigger suggests he wasn't confident that he was going to assemble this trio. Many forget that Horford signed with Boston in 2016 partially because Atlanta chose not to exceed the Celtics' offer that summer.
By contrast, him trading down from No. 1 to No. 3 while also trading Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris all in an effort to save money was a pretty good hint of confidence on his part that he was getting Gordon Hayward the following summer.
What-ifs are pointless, but they can be captivating that they can be downright impossible not to think about. Boston getting Durant, Butler, and Horford all in one summer fits this bill.
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