The Boston Celtics made the most significant move of the offseason back in early July when they decided to pull the trigger on a trade that sent Jaylen Brown out of town for a relatively weak package of Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders. It was controversial when it happened, but in the weeks that have followed, even as many in Boston have gotten used to the idea that the finances of the team necessitated a move, the possibility for more controversy has opened up.
That’s because it has become clear that the push to trade Brown not only came from team president Brad Stevens, but that it was viewed as something of an urgent mission at the time. There were two simultaneous messages coming from the Celtics at the time–one, that the relationship with Brown could be repaired and that he could be brough back to the team, and, two, that the Celtics could have waited until later in the summer and got more value then.
But that was the Celtics covering themselves–in fact, it’s clear that Stevens was bent on trading Brown, and felt he needed to do so quickly or the value would actually diminish.
Celtics Owner: Brad Stevens Needed to ‘Convince’ Him on Trade
This week, Celtics owner Bill Chisholm appeared on WEEI in Boston and made it clear that not only was he surprised by Stevens’ push to move Brown, he was not sure it was a good idea. As he’d said during his joint press conference with Stevens, “I needed to be convinced, that’s my job.”
Stevens did convince him. Chisholm added: “It’s one I struggled with at the time. I have so much, I truly believe we have the best front office in the NBA and I think it’s a source of advantage for us every day. So I definitely have a level of trust in Brad and his team. But as a fan, man, that was tough and I really needed to be convinced to take the fan passion out of it, because I am a superfan, was tough. … You have to be a little bit of a sociopath if you don’t worry what the other fans are gonna think.”
Brad Stevens ‘Has Not Run Away From’ Jaylen Brown Trade Pressure
The Celtics have also conceded that coach Joe Mazzulla was not in on the decision to trade Brown, and Chisholm’s message on WEEI was clear: This is all on Brad Stevens.
“I don’t think Brad has run away from that,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “I think everyone was caught off guard because they really tried to push a trade hard in a small window. But you know, now you have the owner really hammering, ‘Hey, this was not me.’ They really are putting Brad Stevens on the line in all this. Which, again, he seems to accept that. But it still a little jarring to see it.”
Celtics Pegged to Top 50 Wins
And maybe Stevens will be proven right. It’s odd, certainly, that Boston is seen by Las Vegas to be almost as good this year as they were last year, when they won 56 games. This year, the over/under at MGM is 51.5–ahead of the Sixers and Brown (50.5) and just one game behind the defending champion Knicks (52.5).
If, somehow, the Celtics live up to that mark and can put together a good playoff run, Stevens certainly will have been justified.
Celtics Put Brad Stevens ‘On the Line’ After Jaylen Brown Trade