It’s been 20 days since Boston Celtics fans learned of the absolute nuke that was the Jaylen Brown trade. The decade-tenured Celtics star heads to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick swap, the Sixers’ 2031 first-round pick, and two second round picks.
The majority of those assets are straightforward, with the exception of that 2028 swap -- perhaps the most valuable of the bunch. If the ping pong balls (and results) go their way, Boston could have a shot at landing their next franchise player, and at the very least, having a talented prospect on a team-friendly deal.
Okay, so first and foremost, here’s what the swap actually looks like. The Celtics will have the option to choose between the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-rounder, Philadelphia’s (if it lands in the top eight), or the worst the pre-existing swap between the San Antonio Spurs and Celtics.
What are the outlooks for the Clippers and 76ers?
More or less, we’ll key in on the Clippers and Sixers.
Los Angeles landed in the lottery this past season, though their pick went to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They just traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round swap, and two second-round picks. It’s safe to say they’re not exactly shaping up to be competitive in a loaded Western Conference.
There’s still time for them to figure it out over the next two seasons. Maybe No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler will blossom right away. Maybe Ingram will fit nicely next to Darius Garland. It’s possible, but unlikely that they’ll find themselves on the outside of the lottery looking in in two years.
As for the 76ers, they project to be competitive over these next few years with Brown joining a core of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. All four players are under contract through the end of the 2028-29 season. They’ll also cost Philly a ton of money, making it difficult to load the rest of the roster with reliable role players.
This isn’t to say that Celtics fans should expect to see this version of the Sixers crash and burn, but maybe they’re not going to be as dominant as many expect.
Regardless, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both teams could find themselves in the lottery in 2028.
The NBA's new 3-2-1 Lottery system could shake things up
If both, or at least one does, then the Cs could be holding an excellent asset thanks to the NBA’s new 3-2-1 lottery system. Starting in 2027, the lottery will expand to 16 teams, including the eighth seed in each conference. The three worst teams, AKA the relegation zone, will only have two ping pong balls. The next seven worst teams will have three.
Then, the 9th and 10th place teams in each conference will have two chances, with the losers of the seven vs. eight Play-In Tournament games each getting one.
All of this is to say that being “mid” is actually better than being the absolute worst in terms of lottery odds. The Clippers could possibly be in the relegation zone in two years, we don’t know. Philadelphia almost certainly will not be, but it’s possible that they’d find themselves in the Play-In, at least.
This is all important because of how this system actually works in terms of determining the order. All 16 lottery spots will be drawn for. There is going to be far more movement than in years past when only the top four slots were up for grabs.
Having the opportunity to swap with not one, but two potential lottery teams (again, an optimistic label for a potentially good Sixers side), could give Boston tons of leverage in 2028.
Add us as a preferred source on Google