The Boston Celtics settled for a lackluster trade package from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jaylen Brown, but they looked at many other options. Teams like the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans reportedly turned down trade offers for Brown. The Brooklyn Nets can join that list as another team Boston reached out to before settling on Philadelphia’s trade package of the aging Paul George and two future round picks.
Celtics super fan and NBA pundit Bill Simmons revealed the following trade package that the Nets turned down:
Boston Celtics Receive: Michael Porter Jr. and multiple future first round draft picks
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jaylen Brown
The trade offer was essentially a one for one of current talent that would have seen Boston wanting to replace Brown with Michael Porter Jr. from Brooklyn. Last season saw Porter having a breakout year thanks to a larger role with the Nets than his previous tenure with the Denver Nuggets.
The offense run around Nikola Jokic meant the Porter was often relegated to standing in the corner waiting for three point looks. The Celtics felt that Porter could fit into their system, but they also wanted a lot of draft picks before Brooklyn turned them down.
Why Boston Celtics Wanted This Trade
Things escalated quickly with the Brown trade news picking up to warrant a change. Original plans saw Boston wanting to trade Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks to land Giannis Antetokounmpo as their new superstar to pair with Jayson Tatum.
The Bucks ended up picking the Miami Heat’s offer for Giannis, but the Celtics felt they needed to move Brown after putting him on the trade block. Rumors continued circulating until they eventually were forced to settle for George as the player they invested in moving forward.
Porter is considered better than George now, and the Nets have more desirable trade picks than the 76ers. Boston likely realized that they weren’t going to get equal value for Brown and tried to find a unique scenario there. Porter would have been a better replacement for Brown, and they valued getting some of the future picks owned by Brooklyn.
Why Brooklyn Nets Turned Down Trade
Multiple reasons exist for Brooklyn not going after a trade that made sense on paper for them. The Nets are clearly trying to improve the roster to get more wins after acquiring Julius Randle and prioritizing veteran players who can raise their floor next season.
Brown was arguably the best realistic name that Brooklyn would be able to add this summer, but they backed down. One issue would be trading a bunch of draft picks to Boston again after previous trades doomed them. The Nets still get mocked for trading too many future picks for the aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the 2010s.
Insider site Nets Daily shared that Brown did not want to play for Brooklyn as one reason the team backed out of trade discussions. Philadelphia felt more confident in Brown wanting to play there with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid. The Nets aren’t good enough to trade for a superstar hoping to contend just yet.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Nets Refused Celtics Shocking Trade Offer For Jaylen Brown appeared first on HEAVY.