We knew for almost a month that Brad Stevens and the Celtics were basically canvassing the league, doing everything they could to move Jaylen Brown for the best possible return. We heard anywhere from 10-12 teams being in the mix, but his ultimate destination, Philadelphia, seemed to come almost out of nowhere.
And somehow, we are supposed to believe that this is a bad reflection on the Celtics and a positive reflection on the 76ers?
All we see is people clowning the Celtics for getting fleeced and praising the Sixers for doing the fleecing. How about we take two seconds to actually think about this? Brad Stevens, the reigning Executive of the Year in the NBA, had been diligently scouring the market for a Brown trade unsuccessfully.
Then, the Sixers, with a new GM and a questionable (at best) track record as a front office in recent years, enter the fray and immediately give up four draft picks and Paul George for Brown. I understand optically why this may look bad for the Celtics, but I think the opposite is actually true here.
If anything, it kind of feels like Stevens knew he was working with an asset whose value was about to fall off a cliff. He was frantically scrambling to find one mark to dump the deal before it was too late, and the Sixers were more than happy to oblige. I trust the Celtics’ front office as much as I distrust Philly’s.
Brad Stevens knows what he's doing. Do the 76ers?
To think that they pulled the wool over Brad’s eyes and robbed the Celtics is just something I’m not ready to believe. The fact that the Sixers’ owners seemed surprised that they were able to pull this move off is just the cherry on top. People can look at the names and the stat sheets and jump to whatever conclusions they want.
The reality is that one team, with an impressive resume, worked on this deal for months and acted with complete confidence. The other one, with a less-than-stellar recent history, rushed into a deal that wasn’t on its radar. It sure seems like they saw a flashy name and jumped at the chance to make a big splash without really digging into the deal, what it would mean for the future of the franchise, and why the Celtics - their biggest rivals - were so thrilled to make the trade.
Only time will tell how this deal will play out and who actually “won” the trade. But I can’t help but think that everyone rushing to crown the Sixers and laughing like they pulled a fast one on Stevens and the Celtics is going to be in for a rude awakening before long.
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