Speculation on trading Jaylen Brown for older vets abounds, but does it make sense?
The Boston Celtics have two All-Star wings under age 25 in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Both on good-value contracts for years to come, the Celtics are in exactly the sort of scenario much of the league’s 29 other teams are hoping to one day find themselves in.
Even with these two young stars on the roster, some seem insistent on pushing a narrative that it’d be wiser to explore dealing one of those two nascent stars — usually Brown — to try and push the team even higher. Thus speculated NBC Boston Sports’ Chris Mannix in a recent episode of that broadcaster’s “Early Edition” show.
“There are a couple of players out there that I think the Celtics would move for Jaylen Brown,” related Mannix via NBC Sports Boston’s Justin Leger.
If a certain player is in the ask, we think not. https://t.co/fdrB7K6OUO
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 3, 2021
"One would be Bradley Beal, who has to make a decision of his own the next couple weeks if he wants to sign that extension with Washington," he added. "If he doesn't, that's tantamount to a trade request and he can become available. And we all know at this point about the relationship between Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum." https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1411322782655389700?s=20
"The other is Damian Lillard," continued the NBC analyst.
"It's still very much up in the air, Lillard's future in Portland. If in the coming weeks the Blazers decide that they have to trade Damian Lillard, I think Boston would be in a pretty good position to make a strong offer that would have to include Jaylen Brown. So, you don't just move him to shake things up, but if one of those two players becomes available I think you have to look long and hard about trading Jaylen Brown."
We respectfully disagree with a big, fat asterisk. https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1411278571096752131?s=20
Lillard is an aging, smaller point guard -- stop me if you've heard this tale before -- on a very large contract, and while there's plenty to love now, the potential for disaster is hard to over-emphasize. Trading for the Portland All-NBA guard would indeed be an upgrade, but at what cost in assets, cap hit, and missed opportunities with Brown? https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1411097617774284807?s=20
The same goes for Beal to a lesser extent in that while the potential cost might be a little lower, so too would be the likely improvement given the longtime friend of Tatum is still a transcendent talent, if not on the level of Dame. And while a little younger, Beal comes with injury concerns of his own and will probably not be worth the cost compared with the potential return in any hypothetical trade. Save one, that being the scenario of the aforementioned big, fat asterisk. https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1411369196202647562?s=20
If at some point Tatum were to demand that either Lillard, Beal or some other player be added to the roster, an argument can be made for rolling the dice on keeping the potential MVP candidate happy. But there certainly haven't been any rumblings, nor any observable events that suggest such a demand might be incoming any time soon. It seems exceedingly unlikely based off of what we are hearing about the team that they'll trade either of these players any time soon. To the likely chagrin of those aforementioned 29 other teams. This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=53252,53248,53139,53135] [listicle id=53138]
1
1
