So, What's Next For The Boston Celtics?
The Celtics missed out on Giannis, now what?
The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga has come to an end, just not in the way most Boston Celtics fans had come to expect.
We spent the last two days being told that Boston had moved into pole position to land the two-time MVP, with a package centered on Jaylen Brown, a young player, and picks going the other way. Ultimately, though, that wasn’t the case, and it wasn’t the offer that Milwaukee ended up turning down.
“The Celtics aggressively pursued Giannis, offering Milwaukee a package featuring 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported via X. “The Bucks seriously negotiated with two finalists in recent weeks: Miami and Boston, which were both on Antetokounmpo’s list of preferred destinations.”
Now, Brad Stevens has some questions that will need answering as he looks to pivot away from a failed trade pursuit that very publicly involved splitting up Boston’s core duo.
The question is, what will those answers look like?
Driving Up The Price
A positive spin on this whole saga could be that Stevens drove the price up for Miami. Sure, they’ve ended up with Giannis, but at what cost? Is a starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell (if he re-signs), Andrew Wiggins, Giannis and Bam Adebayo good enough to contend for a championship next season?
I wouldn’t say so.
So the question then becomes, what assets does Miami have left to continue maneuvering in the trade market?
By adding Brown into the mix, Miami was forced to go deep into its asset pool to get a trade over the line. In doing so, Pat Riley parted with the Heat’s version of Hugo Gonzalez: Kasparas Jakucionis.
“Kasparas Jakucionis was Miami’s version of Boston’s Hugo Gonzalez hang-up. Had been hearing all day the Heat did not want to part with the Illinois product on top of their Herro-Ware-Jacquez-No. 13 structure,” Jake Fischer reported via X. “That’s an All-Star guard, three recent first-round picks still on rookie deals, a second lottery pick in tomorrow’s loaded draft class, plus two more future firsts and a swap... It’s really a sizable haul for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Compared to Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks.”
That’s the silver lining for Boston fans. Even though the Celtics didn’t get their guy, they put enough pressure on the Heat that Riley had to up the offer, in turn, gutting the roster.
In truth, though, that only benefits the Bucks, so that’s not much of a consolation prize for the Celtics, is it?
What Next For Jaylen Brown?
This will be the question on everybody’s lips this morning.
How many times can the Celtics dangle Brown in trade talks before he’s had enough?
What I find interesting is that this was the first time we heard of Brown being open to a trade going down, and potentially getting his own team.
“Given that the Celtics’ offer is contingent on Jaylen Brown’s inclusion — despite a denial that has amused rival executives — there’s an increasing sense that not only is Brown comfortable with the idea of leaving Boston and being traded to Milwaukee, but is hoping to find a resolution over the next 48 hours, league sources said,” Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reported.
Not only have the Celtics missed out on their primary trade target, but they’ve also now got to either try and repair the situation with Brown, or begin looking for deals elsewhere around the NBA.
Could Brown ask out?
It’s not outside the realm of possibility. There’s only so many times you can go through this situation before deciding enough is enough. The fact that Brown finds himself back here after such a stellar season could be enough to tip the scales toward an exit this summer, or at least in the near future.
And what about the Celtics? Are they confident in running things back and making some tweaks on the fringes?
“The Celtics, I think, at the end of the day, have reached the conclusion that they are not good enough, where they were,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said via ‘Get Up’. “They believe, internally, they didn’t lose in the first round to Philly because Jayson Tatum got hurt. They believe they lost because they weren’t good enough. And I think they believe that if they had gotten to the next round against the Knicks, they were not good enough to beat the Knicks. And would not have been good enough to get out of the East to win the Finals.”
Like it or loathe it, Brown is the Celtics’ best trade chip. His trade value is never going to be higher than it is right now. If Stevens wants to make a big swing, it would involve dealing the five-time All-Star.
The way I see it, Brad has a handful of options available to him - which will be contingent on how Brown sees the rest of this summer playing out, too.
Option 1: Find Another Trade This Summer
“They are aggressively looking to make a change,” Windhorst continued, via ‘Get Up’. “I believe that if the Bucks choose the Miami Heat offer, Jaylen Brown will get traded somewhere else. They are going to move on here.”
If this is the path Brad chooses, the question then becomes “trade Brown for who?” Let’s look at a couple of options.
The first option would be turning your attention to Kawhi Leonard. Like Giannis, he’s in the final year of his current contract, so would need to commit to re-signing in Boston. However, Miami had him penciled in as a contingency plan, and Stevens may have a similar idea.
You can adjust the trade however you want, get some extra pieces, swap some draft picks, it doesn’t matter. The crux of the deal would be betting that Kawhi can give Boston a different dimension, while also slotting into a secondary role during this late phase of his career.
Personally, I’m all the way out on this one. Kawhi’s tenure in LA has been nothing short of shambolic, and I’m not looking to bring that type of energy to Boston. Yet, if Brown wants out, Kawhi is arguably one of the best returns you’re going to get, in terms of a star-level name.
Is Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray a return that alters the Celtics’ outlook moving forward? Or, at least, do Murray and Murphy plug enough gaps that parting with Brown is at least somewhat logical?
Again, I’m not sold. I have a very short list of guys who I would flip Brown for; Murray or Murphy are not on that list. Still, if moving Brown is a goal this summer, for whatever reason, a deal that elevates Tatum to the undisputed top spot of the rotation, while plugging in high-level supporting cast guys behind him, isn’t the worst route to go.
Again, you can tweak this trade idea however you choose. I’m just putting out bare-bones ideas to see what options are out there.
Another option would be revisiting Kevin Durant, while also trying to snag Alperen Sengun away from the Houston Rockets, although that feels like a long shot.
My point here is that Boston still has options if it truly plans on trading Jaylen Brown. Are any of those options as talented as Giannis? Probably not. None of them would be such a logical fit, either. However, that’s the world we’re living in now. A lot will depend on how Brad Stevens envisions the roster by the end of the summer and the type of talent he plans to pursue.
Another note on potentially trading Brown: Kevin O’Connor has also reported that he may not remain with the Celtics beyond this summer.
“I would expect, from my conversations with people around the league, that Boston is going to continue trying to trade Jaylen Brown,” O’Connor said on a live stream. “Giannis was simply Plan A. What is Plan B? I don’t know exactly. I would think that Boston is in on Trey Murphy.”
The question now is whether Boston can find fair value for a player who has consistently been floated in trade rumors. I’d have to assume that this failed move has impacted his market value on some level, even if only marginally.
Option 2: Tie Brown Down For The Long Term
The easiest way to put all of this behind us is for the Celtics to negotiate a contract extension with Brown once he becomes eligible next month. $141 million has a way of helping people forget their gripes.
The thing is, you don’t propose a marriage to save a failing relationship, and that’s exactly what the Celtics would be doing.
I can’t see a world where Brown signs an extension, which won’t kick in until his age-33, and is then playing on another team in a year or so. This would be a legitimate commitment to keep him around long-term.
Think about that. For Brown’s entire tenure in Boston, the messaging has been clear: this is an open relationship, and we reserve the right to see other people. From Anthony Davis and Kawhi to Durant and Giannis, the Celtics have chased their fair share of superstars — all of which saw Brown’s name being dangled along the way.
So, what happens the next time a star comes on the market and the opposing team isn’t interested in taking on Brown’s long-term deal that would pay him north of $70 million per year for the duration of the extension? Do you pivot to floating Tatum?
Doubtful.
Extending Brown now would be doing so for all the wrong reasons. He’s open to leaving. Boston has been open to facilitating that exit under the right circumstances. This is a breakup waiting to happen. All we’re waiting for is to see which side pulls the band-aid off first.
A contract extension is certainly an option for Brad; it’s just not one I think he should use to smooth out how things have gone for Brown.
Option 3: Continue re-tooling and remain patient
Brad has proven to be methodical in his approach. Pushing ahead with the front office’s offseason plans, rounding out the supporting cast, and remaining patient could be the right play.
Brown is still under contract. So, unless he explicitly asks for a trade, Boston can go about their business with Brown’s immediate future set to be with the Celtics. If he comes out of the gates hot, which he probably will now that he has another point to prove, then great; his trade value rises, and the Celtics can re-engage teams closer to the deadline, or next summer.
If Brown struggles to begin the season, the improved rotation is good enough to help paper over those cracks while we wait for him to find his level.
At the end of the day, if Brown is a trade chip for the Celtics, the value play is to continue building up his value while waiting for teams to come to you. Essentially, go fishing for trade partners, and let them take the bait.
And if he’s not on the market, and this whole situation was due to Giannis being an outlier of a target, then any rift that’s been caused can likely be healed by winning and returning to contention.
Either way, refocusing on the task at hand and not doubling down on finding a new trade partner for Brown is potentially the best course of action — at least in the immediate term.
Go out there, find a new starting guard, an upgrade at center and pick another young and exciting rookie in the draft. Worry about what comes after all that when, or if, the time arrives.
The Fall Out
“If you’re Boston, there’s going to be fallout from this. Some hard conversations. For the second time in four years, the Celtics have offered Jaylen Brown, their co-star with Jayson Tatum, in a trade,” Shams Charania said on SportsCenter.
Regardless of what option the Celtics choose to take, the fallout feels inevitable. I’m expecting Brown’s tenure in Boston to wind down shortly. Whether that’s before the season, during the season or next summer, remains a mystery.
However, if I’m Brown, I’ve got the message loud and clear — again.
The Celtics, who have been a picture of stability under Stevens’ tenure so far, are entering some choppy waters. Now might be time to start throwing things overboard to ensure the entire ship doesn’t capsize.