The Boston Celtics look poised to return to the NBA Finals for the third time in four years, but how will the Celtics respond if they fall short?
A second title in a row would surely result in Boston’s GM Brad Stevens keeping the team’s core intact, but if the C’s lose in the Finals, or even worse, fail to reach the Finals, Stevens might entertain the idea of reshuffling the roster a bit around Jayson Tatum.
It’s not strictly about results, either. If Boston were to suffer through chemistry issues or play poorly between now and a Finals run, the notion of changing up the roster this summer could become enticing.
Stevens’ image as a general manager is clean-cut and orderly, which belies the fact that he’s actually a free thinker, progressive, and wide open when it comes to entertaining bold transactions — it’s what makes him great.
Remember … Stevens received a ton of flak in Boston for trading fan-favorite Marcus Smart a couple of years ago. People might forget that trading Smart was considered a bold move at the time, and it worked out.
Stevens is capable of going against the grain if he believes it will make the Celtics more sustainable. This is why, while breaking up “The Jays” by trading Jaylen Brown is a highly unlikely scenario, it’s not an impossibe one with Stevens in charge.
At some point, Stevens might decide to take a step back with the roster for the sake of financial flexibility and a longer window. Trading the supermaxed-out Brown would do that, so long as the Celtics were able to get young, proven talent in return for Jaylen.
Stevens discussed what goes into his thinking as a team-builder last week as the trade deadline arrived.
“What kind of window do you have?” Stevens said when asked about how he’s approaching building the Celtics.
“Sometimes … maybe you have to take a small step back in the moment but you extend your window by … five years, or three years, or whatever it is.”
“Generally, our goals have been to try to do our best to be the best team and be the last team standing while also being sustainable.”
The idea of trading defending FInals MVP Jaylen Brown sounds like a ludicrous proposal at present, and it is, in a way. The smartest thing to do by far with this Celtics team is to keep The Jays together and see if they can repeat, three-peat, etc. or something close. Both are at the start of their primes.
At the same time, if things go way south this postseason or Stevens changes his tune about keeping Brown for the remainder of his $285.3 million contract (owed $65 million in 2028-29), there are ways to trade Brown and very much still stay in contention. The rest of the Celtics roster is flat out good enough to withstand losing Brown.
The idea behind trading Brown as early as this summer would be three-pronged: 1). Create some cap flexibility, 2). Get younger, and 3). Remain a contender.
One team that has a ton of young assets (and happens to be looking for a star wing) is the San Antonio Spurs.
Would the Spurs be willing to fork over Rookie of the Year favorite Stephon Castle to Boston in a Brown trade?
If negotations actually turned serious, we’d be looking at a 3-for-1 deal sending Castle, Harrison Barnes, and Keldon Johnson to the Celtics for Brown.
From the Spurs’ perspective, losing Castle would hurt, but the chance to form a Big 3 with De’Aaron Fox, Brown, and Victor Wembanyama might convince them that this deal is worth consideration.
And on Boston’s end, many unfortunate outcomes would have to transpire to get them to earnestly entertain the idea of trading Brown. But if and when that time arrived, landing a young star in Castle and two other quality wings — all on much cheaper, shorter deals than Brown — would be a good return, and that’s before draft capital is thrown in.
This idea will anger plenty of Celtics fans, but thinking outside the box is the best way to solve the near-impossible puzzle of sustainable contention in the NBA.
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