2weekswithpay wrote:Infinity2152 wrote:Going to throw one out there that I don't think has been discussed, what are the chances the Celtics would trade Jaylen Brown and would it be worth it to us? What do you see as Brown's ceiling? Paying his contract plus Tatum's plus all those other expensive contracts becomes impossible at some point. His contract is 4 yrs $57mill AAV. He's young, pretty great, aggressive, could he be a great number 1 on a team? I'd imagine something like Coby, Pat, Vuc, our lottery pick this year could get the conversation started.
It's really hard for me to project what Brown's ceiling would be in a Ball, Brown, Giddey, Matas, Smith lineup. 26-28pts, 6rbs/4 assts/gm with great shooting and great defense ceiling?
If the Celtics need to get rid of some salary because the tax bill is too high I would presume that Holiday or KP would be traded before Brown. Getting Brown wouldn't do much for us now, we're too far away from being competitive. Maybe that changes in 1 year or 2 though.
Brown's 28 already, I'm not sure his on-court impact will get any better. He's a fringe All-NBA player, I don't think he ever solidifies himself as anything more. On a team other than the Celtics, Brown wouldn't be a great #1 option because of his playmaking limitations. You would still have a good team but probably not a serious threat at making the finals.
Would be way harder to move Jrue at 35 years old, $32.4 mill and Porzingas at 30 making $30 with his injury history. You'd need to move one of them plus another $20 mill to equal Jaylen Brown's contract, and you won't get nearly the return. Brown makes $53 mill and Tatum makes $54 mill next year. $107 mill for two players. My proposal, they cut $10 mill immediately, and $20 mill more when Vuc expires. They lose Brown, but gain Coby, a high octane scorer, Pat Will who could be a respectable 3 and D player at SF there, plus Vuc for a year to play center and replace Horford. Derrick White gets a few more minutes.
A lineup of Jrue, White, Tatum, Porzingas, Vucevic with Coby White, Pat Williams, Payton Pritchard on the bench is still the best team in the East but $30 mill cheaper in a season, minus Vuc. Plus they're getting a lottery pick rookie from this class, cheap good 4 year contract. They could probably afford to trade Holiday too for very little if the rookie is good, getting even more cap space.
I think Brown could be a great number 1 next to Giddey specifically. Let's him focus on scoring, rebounding and defending, Giddey and Ball run the actual offense. Like KD was the best player on a championship team, he got to focus on what he is good at. He's not playmaking or leading a team though. Scoring 23 on that loaded Celtics roster, he should be able to add 4-6 pts without dropping efficiency much with more usage. Kawhi Leonard type player for us.
Of course I'd prefer Jokic or Luka, lol! Of the guys in that 20-30 range that aren't considered superstars, I think Brown could take that leap. Him being a two-way player also gives him a huge advantage over most alternatives. Of course, a lot of this is predicated on Matas and Giddey becoming star/borderline star level. Celtics will be $17.7 mill over the second apron next season with always injured Porzingas, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Quetas as their only bigs.
I'm optimistic, of course. But I think Ball, Brown, Giddey, Matas, Collins with Tre jones, Ayo, Phillips, Smith would actually be a damn competitive lineup if Giddey keeps playing the way he's playing now. And Matas improves.
