It was a tough stretch for the Boston Celtics back in late June and early July, as the team moved from the phase of considering Jaylen Brown trades into forcing a deal in one way or the other, even if the package that cam back was underwhelming. And the fact that the Celtics got, basically, two first-rounders and Paul George for Brown did not exactly go over well with the locals.
But there wasn’t that much surprise from within the league. For one thing, despite a year in which he was an MVP candidate and averaged 26.9 points, Brown is not as highly valued among front offices as he is among fans. That was a needle that was always going to be tough for team president Brad Stevens to thread. More than that, though, despite playing just 38 games in the past two years, George still has value around the NBA.
Paul George ‘Still Can Play’
That was apparent when George came up in a chat with an Eastern Conference executive. The Celtics were able to shuttle off contracts concerns about Brown before they needed to deal with another extension for him. And they got back George on a two-year, $110 million contract with a player options next season.
Said the exec: “The thing about Paul George that you have to remember is that he still can play. Like, healthy and at his best, he can still play, he is a big wing, he can stretch the floor and handle the ball, he can play defense. He is not the player he was 10 years ago, but he still has that rare skillset and if a player has that, he’s got value. If he has that and he is on a short contract, that’s even more value. It’ probably a surprise if you’re a fan and you see how other teams see him.”
Celtics Holding On Despite Trade Chatter
Stevens was careful when talking about George not to put too much pressure on him or to raise expectations among Celtics fans. But his numbers last year, in limited games, would catch the attention of any front office, if they did not come with George’s injury baggage. George is still a good defender, and averaged 17.3 points and 3.6 assists with 39.2% 3-point shooting.
There was, for a time, a presumption that the Celtics would seek to flip George’s contract elsewhere. But, the exec said, that did not come from the Celtics.
He said: “Boston was never looking at him as replacing Jaylen Brown, they were never looking to just trade him as soon as they could. But they were looking at him as, ‘OK, what can he do that is going to help us win?’ And that’s it. If he is healthy, he can still do things most guys can’t. Could they get a protected first-rounder, something like that for him? Yeah, probably, if he is healthy. But they’ve never given off the impression they’re going to dump him.”
Celtics Get ‘Surprise’ Update on Paul George Trade Value