Star swingman Jaylen Brown is finally on the move, and it’s to a team (the 76ers) that nobody expected. As the NBA community begins to accept this new reality, many questions have emerged about how this whole process played out.
As most fans already know, Jaylen Brown has been on the trade block for years leading up to this deal, and the Celtics were pushing hard to find him a new home. What many didn’t know is that he was nearly involved in a three-team trade this past season that also included Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.
“There were talks about a Kevin Durant trade involving Jaylen Brown and Alperen Sengun,” reported Brett Siegel. “Kevin Durant would’ve gone to the Pistons. The Celtics were gonna get Alperen Sengun, and then Jaylen Brown would’ve gone to the Rockets. Ultimately, Houston did not want that type of package.”
The deal sounds fair enough on paper. Each team would have gotten a star to fit their needs without gutting their entire supporting cast. At the very least, for the Celtics, the return (Sengun and picks) would have been better than what they actually got for Brown (aging Paul George with two first-rounders). But it sounds like the Celtics had no objections to the deal, which would have paired an All-Star center with Jayson Tatum.
The issues were reportedly on Houston’s side. After losing in the first round to a shorthanded Lakers team, trading Durant for a younger and more versatile Jaylen Brown would make sense, but the Rockets apparently felt otherwise. They clearly had doubts about Jaylen leading their team, and they were seemingly justified given how low his trade value actually was. It’s also worth noting that Rockets coach Ima Udoka used to coach Jaylen Brown, so he might have said something that scared them away.
The Pistons would have landed Kevin Durant in this deal, and he’s exactly the kind of player they need. With averages of 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game this past season, he’d have been an ideal fit for Cade Cunningham on the wing and a clear upgrade over Tobias Harris, who is now with the Spurs. But now, Detroit will have to look elsewhere to find help for their young star guard.
Ultimately, the Jaylen Brown deal was not a matter of if, but when (and where). The Celtics had been done with Jaylen for a while, and these failed trade talks prove it. More than anything, however, it shows us just how expendable stars have become. With the new CBA rules and cap restrictions, team building is harder than ever, and teams aren’t willing to risk everything to make room for a controversial star on such a huge contract.
In the end, while this three-team trade failed to go through, the only loser here is Boston. At one point, they were in the running for Giannis and Sengun, but they were forced to settle on a return of Paul George and draft picks. It’s a wild story that will have Celtics fans imagining what they could have had if things turned out differently.
