Stop Trying to Trade Jaylen Brown
So obviously when this time of year comes around there are about a million different rumors that end up being thrown around. Every team experiences this, and more often than not none of the rumors ever come to fruition. Whether it’s out of pure boredom or people truly believing that the trades they come up with will help their team, I don’t know, but some of the things I see are wild. The worst of them all? Trading Jaylen Brown.
The Tweet
I put out this tweet (above) today begging people to stop putting Jaylen Brown in trade rumors. While I could see the appeal of a potential deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo Luka Doncic, those would probably be the only two guys I would trade Brown for. He’s 24 years old, coming off the best season of his career, and was arguably the most consistent player on the Celtics all season. Despite this, people are still constantly throwing him into trade packages for no apparent reason.
The Devin Booker Debate
I recently had a chat on my podcast Within Heckling Distance with two of my friends, Danny [Hanley] and Liam [Driscoll], who follow the NBA, but not nearly as closely as I do. They brought up a trade package that would send Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and the 14th overall pick to Phoenix for Devin Booker. (The clip of the ensuing, very heated discussion starts at 23:46 if you want to listen.) Sam [LaFrance] and I were stunned to say the least. They then proceeded to argue about how Booker is so much of a better player that this would be worth it.
First of all, while I do think Booker is clearly the better player at this point in time, it’s not so much that it’d be worth sending in those two extra pieces. Second of all, I wouldn’t even do a Devin Booker for Jaylen Brown trade straight up, if I were the Celtics, because Brown’s defense is far superior and he’s on a steal of a contract. Finally, Booker is only six days younger then Brown, so if your argument is the age difference, then you’re crazy. If you want to know more of my thoughts on a Booker for Brown deal, @ me on Twitter and we can have a nice, calm conversation about it…
The RJ Barrett Idea
The second thing I saw was a month or so back when someone told me that they wanted Brown off the team entirely, regardless of what the package would be in return. Their argument was that he doesn’t work hard enough and spends too much time focusing on activities off the court. I then tried my best to stay calm and explain to him that Brown is one of the most hard-working players in the league, and that he was possibly slightly insane. My assumptions of this were confirmed when he suggested a package of RJ Barrett and a first round pick in return, and that’s where I decided to end the conversation. Feel free to read the full thread by clicking on the tweet above.
The James Harden Rumors
The final trade idea I wanted to discuss was one for James Harden. Let me begin my statement by saying that yes, Harden is clearly a top 7, borderline top 5 player in the entire league. He’s one of the best scorers of All-Time and despite never winning a ring, what he’s been able to do in Houston has been incredible. However, the question is, would I trade Jaylen Brown in a package for him? Hell. No.
Harden’s game revolves around him getting the ball, running isolation plays, and attacking on offense by himself. The Celtics are very clearly committed to letting Jayson Tatum be the guy in Boston, but bringing in Harden would not only stunt his growth, but force him into the role of “guy in the corner Harden has the option of passing to.” The same goes for Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and anyone else left on the roster. If you think Walker struggled to adjust to the role of being a second option based on his playoff performance, I wonder what would happen if he was playing behind Harden and Tatum.
Next let’s talk about the defense. In a similar fashion to the Booker vs. Brown comparison, the category of defensive capabilities swings completely in Brown’s favor. While he has improved over the past couple of years, Harden is very much known for how bad of a defender he is. Just because someone averages a lot of steals does not make them a good defender. Brown is far and away the better defender, even though he’s only four years into his NBA career.
Lastly, the age difference is absolutely the most important factor here. Are you really going to pay nearly 20 million more per year to get a guy that could just up and leave when his contract is up? Harden is 31 right now, and while that just may be his prime, are you seriously willing to trade Brown, a guy who’s not even close to his full potential, for a player that’s seven years older than him? That not only breaks up one of the best young duos in the NBA, but also shortens Boston’s championship window by an extremely significant amount.
The Celtics made the Conference Finals last year for the third time in four years, and yet everyone is so eager to make trades, even involving guys in the core. The only player to be on all three of those teams? Jaylen Brown. In Brown’s four year career he has managed to make a Conference Finals appearance three times. Harden? He’s made four appearances in his eleven seasons in the league. Do the math.
In Conclusion
I would be absolutely shocked if Danny Ainge decided to trade Brown this offseason, or at all in the near future. He should be treated just as Tatum is - a centerpiece of the franchise. Stop trying to push him away. Psychos.
