Given their storied rivalry with one another, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers agreeing to a trade seems farfetched, but Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley floated a possible trade between the two sides that could potentially help the other.
Buckley proposed the following trade.
Celtics receive: Anthony Davis
Lakers receive: Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III
Buckley then explained why the two storied rivals would actually agree to such a swap involving their star players.
“It’s possible Brown, 26, never reaches the level of stardom Davis has already hit—hence the inclusion of Williams, a dominant defender with his own injury issues—but the former is younger and more durable,” Buckley wrote. “Those traits could matter to the Lakers, who might need a sturdier foundation for their post-LeBron James era than the oft-injured Davis can provide.”
Davis would also provide quite an interesting frontcourt pairing with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, though sacrificing Brown in that process would hurt the Celtics scoring along the wing.
With the extension Davis agreed to with the Lakers, his contract runs through 2028 worth $261 million, though he has a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Brad Stevens Challenges Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown
While talking about Marcus Smart’s departure, Brad Stevens challenged Brown and Jayson Tatum to step up as leaders with Smart gone during his appearance on “Jones and Mego.”
Brad Stevens addresses trading Marcus Smart and says they need Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to take that role, “We need Jayson and Jaylen to continue to grow in that area, and I think they’re among the best that they can be, and we need them to step up to that.”
“We’ve been chock-full of a lot of quality people for a long time, and that gives other people a voice,” Stevens said. “Obviously, we need Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) to continue to grow in that area, and we think they’re among the best that there can be.”
Stevens added that other players on the team may also have to do the same to fill the void that Smart left.
“Other people will have an opportunity to do so. Any time that you have somebody that plays such a big role and has such a big personality (leave), there’s options or opportunities for somebody to step into that. He’s a good one, and we’ll miss him.”
Jaylen Brown’s New Contract Called ‘No-Brainer’
An Eastern Conference source explained to Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett why the Celtics had to give Brown the extension that they did.
“And with as close as they are to the top, you don’t want to risk having his future hanging over your head as you’re trying to keep a team together and win games,” the source told Bulpett. “You actually saw those questions come up last year about ‘does he want to stay?’ and all that, and it would have gotten a lot worse if he’d gone into the last year of his contract without a new deal. You can’t have that s*** if you’re keep your room together and win games. You can’t have those questions floating around about your important guys.”
The source added that the Celtics would have had to think about it had they not had the team that they do now.
“If Boston didn’t have the kind of team that could win now, you might have to think twice about what you offer a Jaylen Brown. But from everything we’ve seen about him and know, he’s not the kind of person you have to worry about. It looks like he’s invested in the team and not just his stats. That’s more important than people realize when it comes to how a guy’s new contract sits with the rest of the guys in the room.”
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Proposed Trade Sends Celtics $261 Million Lakers Champion for Jaylen Brown