The NBA offseason has begun early for the once juggernaut Boston Celtics, who were stunningly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the rival Philadelphia 76ers.
The early exit immediately fueled a suspense-driven offseason, starting with the future of NBA MVP candidate Jaylen Brown.
With the Celtics just finishing an underwhelming season and Brown coming off his best season as a pro, it has moved some to pitch trade ideas involving the 29-year-old Brown, whose trade value has perhaps never been higher.
The biggest name on the open market is about to be Giannis Antetokounmpo, the disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks star supposedly seeking a new home. And with the Celtics needing a big-time addition in the front court, Antetokounmpo is someone the Celtics are projected to at least make a run at acquiring.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, if a trade involving Brown and Antetokounmpo hits the table, it won’t necessarily result in a direct player-for-player swap.
“We’ve heard Boston could potentially be in the mix,” Siegel said on the “ClutchScoops” podcast. “And I think that that’s an interesting scenario because if Boston gets in the mix and they ultimately decide to split with Jaylen Brown, that’s gonna open up some questions about where Jaylen Brown goes, because I don’t think that he would be heading back to the Milwaukee Bucks. There could be a potentially third team here that now trades more picks to the Bucks to get Jaylen Brown. … All of sudden [teams] could maybe be in the mix for Jaylen Brown. This could maybe have a trickle down effect for the rest of the league.”
Boston Celtics Prepared to Move on From Star?
With Jayson Tatum out rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon, Brown took over as the head of the snake in Boston. And did he ever seize the opportunity.
Brown ascended into an MVP candidate as he steered the Celtics to the second seed in the Eastern Conference while averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists.
It appears trading a player such a player would be either lunacy or genius. That depends entirely on the circumstances of a potential trade.
GettyJaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics
But the Celtics may desire to retain Brown alongside Tatum, another All-NBA talent, and continue to build the roster back to championship material. But the Celtics could realize they may possess a prime opportunity to trade Brown because his value has skyrocketed after an MVP caliber season.
After Boston’s season ended, there was plenty of discourse on Brown’s future with the franchise, including rumors the star forward was unhappy with the Celtics’ higher-ups.
In an end-of-season press conference, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens shot down that notion and stated he and Brown share a positive relationship.
The Celtics have not said remotely anything along the lines of wanting to shop trade offers for Brown, but that may change as the offseason carries on.
Changes are Imminent
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Trading away a star or not, the Celtics will not look the same in October. Calling it a roster overhaul may be a bit harsh, but the Celtics will add pieces — and that may require moving some in a trade.
“There’s no question what we want,” Stevens said in early May. “There’s no question when you look at what’s true that, though we did a lot of good things, we lost in the first round,” Stevens said. “And we’re also 3-11 against the top three seeds in the West [Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver] and the other top two [Detroit, New York] in the East. And so, we’ve got to get better.”
Trading for Antetokounmpo would almost certainly require the Celtics to part ways with one of their two best players.
Considering Brown is slightly older and currently carries a higher trade value than Tatum, who is coming off major injury, Brown is the piece that may make more sense for the Celtics to trade.
Celtics Get Major Update on Possible Jaylen Brown-Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade