The Boston Celtics’ decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers continues to frustrate the fanbase.
Those frustrations were turbocharged when LeBron James opted to sign with the 76ers on Friday, July 24, effectively creating a super team on one of Boston’s biggest rivals.
When speaking with ClutchPoints, former Celtics star Cedric Maxwell shared his thoughts on Boston’s decision to part ways with Brown.
“I don’t see how you remove him and all of a sudden you become better,” Maxwell said. “Do you give other people opportunities? Yeah. I think Scheierman would get more of an opportunity. Hugo [Gonzalez] will get an opportunity; a lot of guys would get more time. [Jordan] Walsh just signed a new deal with the Celtics. You’re just trying to piece it together.”
Maxwell continued.
“…I think that was the biggest shock when I think about who Brad is and what happened,” he said. “To go to Philly, a team that I’ve always hated, a team that is a rival, a team that just beat you. To send one of your best players to that particular team and get back Paul George, but I think, again, it comes down to salary-cap flexibility and getting opportunities. Even with the draft picks, you’re talking about, some of them are 2031; we’re going that far ahead with your draft picks.”
Trading Brown has split opinion. Some fans believe it was the right move, while others think Stevens either waited a year too long or not long enough.
Jaylen Brown’s Value Was Lower Than Expected
The biggest shock to Celtics fans has been how little Boston got in return for Brown. Philadelphia sent back Paul George, two first-round draft picks and two second-round draft picks.
During a recent appearance on the “Shump Street Podcast,” ESPN insider Brian Windhorst shed some light on why Brown’s value was lower than many expected.
“They’re not arguing who’s the better player tonight or even in this playoff series,” Windhorst said. “When they say value, they’re looking at what a player’s production is versus how much he costs. The Celtics were a better team this year with Derrick White on the court versus Jaylen Brown.”
Windhorst continued.
“You can debate that and say that that’s just not true. And I’m not defending their side. I’m not trying to say I agree. The numbers that they have say that when Derrick White played, and Jaylen Brown played, they were better with Derrick White; that Derrick White defensively had an elite season. He was first-team all-defense, and that he cost $20 million less! So the word value means a different thing to your average fan.”
The analytics discussion surrounding Brown’s trade has been another divisive factor, and continues to split opinion almost a month later.
Celtics Would Have Had To Extend Brown
Zooming out a little, it’s easy to pinpoint Jaylen Brown’s impending extension eligibility as another driving force behind the trade. The All-Star forward would have commanded a two-year extension worth $141 million: $70+ million at ages 33 and 34.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who was speaking on a July 17 episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the Celtics were apprehensive about offering such a sizeable two-year add-on to Brown’s contract.
“They knew they were not going to offer Jaylen Brown the two-year, $140 million contract extension,” Charania said. “That would have caused a reaction. Both sides would have had to have even harder conversations, and this could have gone another way. This could have gotten ugly potentially because you’ve already shopped the player multiple times. In 2022, he was offered for Kevin Durant.”
Ultimately, Stevens made the choice that he believes was best for the franchise. At the time, nobody envisioned Brown being a catalyst for LeBron to head to the Sixers. Celtics fans will now be hoping that the re-tooling process is short lived, and Boston can get back to contending for championships in the near future.
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