The Boston Celtics made the surprising decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a decision that very few people saw coming. In exchange for Brown, Boston received Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
Shortly after that trade was executed, LeBron James decided to sign with the Sixers. It seemed that the move to bring in Brown helped spark James’ interest in Philly. He signed a two-year deal worth $8 million that includes a player option with the 76ers.
GM Mike Gansey credits the Brown trade as the reason they were able to sign James, essentially saying the Celtics helped that happen.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown drives the ball in a game against the 76ers. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Celtics Sending Jaylen Brown to Philly Helped Them Land LeBron James
While appearing on SportsCenter, Gansey claims that trading for Brown was the main reason James decided to sign with the 76ers.
“Without getting Jaylen, I don’t think we get LeBron. Obviously Jaylen’s one of the best players in the league, and to get him onto the roster with Tyrese [Maxey], with VJ [Edgecombe], with Joel [Embiid], and then some of the free agents we got, obviously before all this, it changed the game for us. We just said, ‘Hey, let’s try to put a full court press: everyone reach out, sell him on Philly. I think if he comes, he could be the missing piece and we could be really good.’”
Had the Celtics not decided to send Brown to Philly, Gansey doesn’t believe that they would have been able to sign James. That means that Boston helped out their biggest rival in two different ways. That stings, especially after Philadelphia eliminated Boston from the playoffs last year.
Brown had his best offensive season with the Celtics last season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Brown was the top offensive option for most of the season, as well.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown drives the ball in a game against the 76ers. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Boston Is Taking a Massive Risk Next Season
Trading Brown was a huge risk for Brad Stevens and the front office. They cited the fact that they didn’t want two guys taking up so much of the salary cap as the reason they made this move. However, they chose Brown over Jayson Tatum, who is coming off an Achilles tear.
They are banking on Tatum being fully healthy all of next season. Stevens is also assuming that their younger players will be able to take a leap forward next year. Boston had the second-best offense in the NBA last year when it was led by Brown. That will be hard to replicate without him.
Brown has a better chance to win a title in Philly next season than he did in Boston. Yet, the Celtics are taking the longer view into account.
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