The Boston Celtics need to make some moves this summer. After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Brad Stevens must take stock of the team’s current roster and figure out how to improve it.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, that could mean exploring Jaylen Brown’s current trade market. The explosive forward is coming off a career year and will be extension-eligible later this summer. Boston may look to maximize its potential return by selling high.
With that in mind, Collin Kennedy of 98.5 The Sports Hub has proposed a trade scenario that would flip Brown for two high-level contributors. The trade idea looks like this:
Celtics Get: Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III
New Orleans Pelicans Get: Jaylen Brown
“Another option could be the non-superstar swap, and the Pelicans have some appealing players that could fill in nicely in Boston. The best option for the Celtics would be receiving a package of Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray for Brown, and of course include picks where you must,” Kennedy wrote. “Murphy would be the big piece for Boston in this move as the forward is only 25-years-old, and is coming off a career year in which he averaged 21.5 points and shot 37% from three.”
Trading Brown without getting a superstar in return would be a tough pill to swallow for Celtics fans. However, if Stevens believes Murray and Murphy can elevate Boston’s chances of another championship, it could be a move worth considering.
Jaylen Brown Is Happy With The Celtics
Brown’s future recently became a topic of discussion when Tracy McGrady revealed that the All-Star forward has become ‘frustrated’ with the Celtics organization. His comments came via a recent episode of the “Vince and T-Mac” podcast.
“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t have the details too,” McGrady said. “There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing going on with the Boston organization with J.B.”
However, when speaking on a Twitch livestream on Wednesday, May 6, Brown refuted the idea that he’s unhappy with the Celtics.
“First things first, a lot of stuff swirling around the Celtics and the organization. Hate that our president of basketball operations even had to respond to this,” Brown said on the livestream. “Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. If it was up to me, I could play in Boston for the next 10 years. I’ll say it again. I hate that our — I hate that Brad even had to respond to this. Like I said, me and Brad have a great relationship and I can play in Boston for the next 10 years. I love Boston.”
Celtics Have Tough Decisions Ahead
Regardless of what the Celtics decide to do this summer, there are some tough decisions to be made. Outside of Brown’s future, Stevens must also decided whether to upgrade the center position.
Neemias Queta displayed significant developmental growth this season. However, his struggles during the postseason prove he’s not a guy to anchor a championship roster. Nikola Vucevic’s future with the team is also in question. He’s now an unrestricted free agent.
Stevens has built a championship roster before. He has a clear vision on how the team should look from a construction standpoint. Whether that means trading Brown to help the team get to the next level, will remain to be seen. However, it would certainly be controversial.
Proposed Trade Lands Celtics $223 Million Duo