ESPN’s Shams Charania delivered news of the biggest blockbuster trade of the summer, as the Boston Celtics are reportedly trading All-NBA guard Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The return has the NBA community collectively scratching their heads, as Boston is landing a 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks in the deal.
Provided Brown is coming off his best professional season after averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game on 47.7% shooting from the floor (34.7% from 3-point range), finishing sixth in MVP voting in the process, it’s genuinely bizarre that the Celtics couldn’t get a better return for him. Or, at the very least, not trade him to an Eastern Conference rival.
Philadelphia was able to add Brown to an existing core of former MVP Joel Embiid, All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey and up-and-coming talent VJ Edgecombe.
Jaylen Brown blockbuster raises questions about hypothetical Suns offers
Provided the Suns recently traded Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and their own unprotected 2033 first rounder to receive Miles Bridges, a 28-year-old who’s never made an All-Star team, it’s now worth questioning why Phoenix pulled the trigger on that deal instead of inquiring about Brown.
Perhaps the sharpshooters Allen and O’Neale plus picks wouldn’t get the Suns there. However, 24-year-old former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green is another trade asset with clear upside they could have dangled to Boston’s front office. Whether the Celtics have a favorable view of Green is unclear, but he's clearly a better win-now option when compared directly with an aging George.
It’s just hard to believe that Boston couldn’t get more in return for Brown despite reports he was upset by having his name floated in trade rumors for Giannis Antetokounmpo — who was ultimately dealt to the Miami Heat.
Paul George’s contract has been viewed as an albatross for a while now, and the contracts of Green, Allen and O’Neale are all more team-friendly by comparison. George is owed roughly $54 million this coming season and has a player option that would pay him approximately $56.5 million in 2027-28. Given his declining value on the court coupled with injury woes, it would be very surprising if PG doesn’t exercise that option.
If you’re the Suns, adding Brown would raise the team’s immediate ceiling much higher than Bridges does. If Phoenix had waited longer to let the market develop, there's certainly a chance they could have put together an offer that the Celtics would have preferred compared to what they got from Philly.
Brown is clearly a far superior player than Bridges, and even though team fit would be a question, the raw talent upgrade there would have been a much more intriguing move for the Suns' front office to make.
Brown gets his fresh start with the Sixers, but Suns fans are left to wonder what could have been if that's the best return Boston could find.
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