Among the many reasons Boston Celtics fans were upset by the Jaylen Brown trade, none stung more than seeing the All-NBA wing dealt to an Atlantic Division rival, the Philadelphia 76ers.
While addressing the controversial trade on Monday, Celtics front-office boss Brad Stevens admitted he would have preferred sending Brown to a team outside the conference, hinting that no team from the West made an offer as strong as the Sixers.
“If I was being honest, if that exact deal came from a team out West and you were comparing the two, then you’d probably take the team out West, but that’s not the way it worked,” Stevens said, via Daniel Donabedian.
“If I was being honest, if that exact deal came from a team out West and you were comparing the two, then you’d probably take the team out West, but that’s not the way it worked.”
Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown to East Rival
Stevens also admitted that it was “a hard thing” to trade a player to a conference rival that the Celtics will face at least six times next season — including twice in the preseason — before a potential postseason rematch. However, he ultimately felt the deal from the Sixers, which included two first-round picks, gave the C’s the best “optionality” and cap flexibility for the long haul — unlike other offers he received.
“When I looked at our team, and I looked at where the league was heading, looked at the way that we’ve finished the last couple years, and also looked at the unbelievable way we’ve played in the regular season in the last couple years… the path looked a little bit more challenging to me,” Stevens said.
Interestingly, Stevens said he avoided the discourse on social media after the Jaylen Brown trade and was not afraid to be proven wrong about his decision-making. Notably, Stevens hinted that the Celtics were hesitant to tie up 70% of the cap to two players — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — to avoid the pitfalls of the new CBA.
“I might be wrong, I’m not going to stand up here and be defensive about that, but the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players,” Stevens said.
Celtics Owner Didn’t Mandate Trade
Celtics majority owner Bill Chisholm reiterated that the Jaylen Brown trade was a “basketaball-decision” and had nothing to do with his team trying to stay under the luxury-tax aprons — contrary to what Brad Stevens said in the same presser.
“I just don’t necessarily agree with the premise there that they were salary-based,” he said, via Boston Herald. “Every decision that was made, prior decisions, those were basketball decisions. We would have gutted the team for our future had we not done these things. The second apron is a real thing. I know you know that. But those were basketball decisions. I put this one in the same category, as well.
“The money (between Brown’s salary and George’s) is a marginal difference. So it’s not about the money at all. This was trying to put together the right set of players and assets to win now, and then next year, the following year, and the year after that. That’s what this was about. None of these were about money.”
Celtics Make Eye-Opening Admission About Jaylen Brown Trade