Once the dust settled from the shocking Jaylen Brown trade this summer, one of the talking points was that, given the widely perceived poor return, the Celtics waited too long and should have traded Brown earlier. But this makes no sense for a variety of reasons.
As much as it didn’t seem like JB had great value this offseason, as he was being shopped around, there’s no reason to think it would have been better at any other time in his recent career. Brown was obviously a massive part of the 2023-24 team, winning Finals MVP and helping the team raise Banner 19.
That will live in Celtics history forever, and the team should have absolutely zero regrets about that season or that team. Brad Stevens and the Celtics made all the right moves and built a juggernaut that dominated the NBA that season. So, to say that the team should have traded Brown before winning it all is foolish, because without JB, the Celtics may still be chasing their first title since 2008.
Celtics couldn't trade JB right off 2024 Finals MVP
The ruthless, cold-blooded move may have been to trade Brown following that run, but anyone claiming Stevens should have traded the reigning Finals MVP away from a team that was primed to repeat as champions is being ridiculous.
Now, we all know that the repeat run fell apart, and after the 2025 playoffs, it was actually time to break things up and start a soft rebuild that was at least partially necessitated by Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury. Boston could have traded Brown then, but it’s hard to say his value would have been higher entering year two of a five-year supermax contract.
He had a rough season and an even rougher playoffs, and Stevens chose to trade Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis instead. And although last season didn’t end the way anyone wanted, it’s hard to say Stevens made the wrong choice, as Brown put together the best season of his career, finishing sixth in MVP voting and helping lead the Celtics to 56 wins and the two seed, mostly without Tatum.
Brown's trade value will never be higher than it was this summer
And that’s when Stevens decided to pounce. The Celtics assumed that at 29 years old, coming off a second-team All-NBA season, and with three years left on his deal, Brown’s value would never be higher on the open market. And still, it wasn’t as high as anyone hoped. Ultimately, they got some very good draft capital and a good, albeit it again and overpaid, player in Paul George.
It was hardly the most satisfying trade return, but there’s no reason to believe it was going to get better in the future or that it would have been any better in the recent past. Sadly, it is what it is. In this CBA landscape, teams are sharper than ever with their finances, and they were clearly wary of paying JB supermax money with a possible extension looming as well.
Add that to the new draft lottery reform and how much teams are valuing their own picks, and it was a perfect storm of sorts that allowed Brown to be had for a package that seemed underwhelming to many. This explanation may not satisfy people who are still salty about the trade, but hopefully it at least explains some of the rationale that went into it and dispels some of the foolish attempts at revisionist history.
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