Through lots of dot-connecting and speculation, it has become pretty clear that if the Celtics want to trade for Giannis, they need a third team that wants Jaylen Brown. We’ve heard several teams emerge with interest, but one that we can apparently cross out is the Clippers, as Marc Spears reports that they are enjoying their “youth movement”.
The Clippers have recently parted with veterans such as James Harden, Paul George, and Ivica Zubac, and with only Kawhi Leonard remaining, they face a bit of a crossroads. There was some thought they may want to add JB and make a run for it with him and Kawhi, but it seems they’ve cooled on the idea.
Spears suggests they are enamored with their current young group, which features Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin, Yanic Konan Neiderhauser, and the 5th pick in next week’s NBA Draft. That’s not exactly an elite young core, but it’s not nothing, and if they nail the draft, they could be in business sooner rather than later.
Realistically, that’s probably a better option than chasing Brown and shortening their window, as JB is set to hit his 30s and will be making close to $60 million. Leonard is coming off an excellent season, in which he mostly managed to stay healthy, but banking on that to continue at age 34 is likely wishful thinking.
If there was a deal for Brown, a Giannis deal would be a near-lock
If a team was willing to put up a top-5 pick for JB, that should certainly be a premium enough asset to get Giannis to Boston, but in this case, it’s hard to blame the Clippers for balking at the idea. If they were closer to contending and Brown would push them over the edge, I could see it, but LA is closer to a rebuild than contending, and giving up an asset like that to chase early playoff exits would be silly.
It’s unfortunate for the Celtics in their pursuit, but it’s the right move for the Clips, and it’s hardly the end of the world. For one, we don’t even know if the Celtics are actually offering Brown in any trades, even for Giannis, and for two, if they are, there should be plenty of other teams that are interested outside of the Clippers (we know of Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, and the Blazers already).
It only takes one in this case, and all of those teams could easily put together a package for Brown that, along with some extra sweetener from Boston, should easily beat any deal that Miami can offer. For now, it’s all just leverage, rumors, and reports, but with the draft just a week away, the real answer appears to be coming soon.
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