The Boston Celtics sent out a few trade offers to various teams about Jaylen Brown before sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft picks. One team that had a big decision to make involving Brown was the Charlotte Hornets. After their shocking move trading away LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Hornets decided to turn down a big trade offer from Boston for Brown.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported the following news about Boston’s trade offer to Charlotte:
“Charlotte presented an offer involving draft compensation, Miles Bridges (before he was traded to Phoenix), and Naz Reid, sources said. This package was shot down by the Celtics, who wanted Brandon Miller and more than three first-round picks, and so the Hornets moved on to other avenues — shooting down offers for Reid from other teams and trading Bridges to the Suns. The inclusion of Reid in the Hornets’ offer was also reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.”
The Celtics wanted young rising star Brandon Miller and at least three first round picks before the Hornets shut them down. Talks broke down between the two sides to see Charlotte no longer involved by the time Boston sent Brown to Philadelphia.
Was Charlotte’s Jaylen Brown Offer Better Than Philly?
Charlotte sent an offer completely different to what Boston wanted to initially open the trade conversations. Both Siegel and fellow writer Michael Scotto confirmed that the Hornets hoped to send Miles Bridges, recently acquired center Naz Reid, and draft compensation for Brown to add a star to the roster.
Boston countered by making it clear they wanted Miller as the top trade piece to end the talks. Given how much Celtics fans and media hate the team’s haul for Brown, Charlotte’s trade may have been worth exploring if they got similar draft compensation to what the 76ers offered.
George’s contract is considered a net negative to make the trade look like Brown getting dealt for two draft picks. The combination of Reid, Bridges and two picks from the Hornets may have been better. Boston would have upgraded at the center position with Reid and added Bridges, who is considered more reliable than George today.
Did Charlotte Hornets Make The Right Call?
Charlotte had a good chance to land a new franchise player after shockingly trading away Ball. Hornets management felt that Ball didn’t play enough games and was making too much money to keep investing in as their best player.
Brown gave them a chance to replace LaMelo with a new superstar, but the asking price was too high. Considering that the Celtics settled on the aging George, Miller was too good and too valuable of a young asset for Charlotte to risk trading away for Brown.
However, this does show a bright side for the Hornets fan base. The team does not plan to keep the roster as is and appears to be ready for discussions once a star becomes available. Hopefully they will be able to add another franchise player without sacrificing either Miller or Kon Knueppel as their current core foundation pieces of the future.
Hornets Turned Down Big Celtics Jaylen Brown Trade Offer