Jaylen Brown landing spots: Six possible destinations for Celtics star after failed Giannis deal

With or with out Giannis Antetokounmpo concerned, a Jaylen Brown commerce made loads of sense for the Boston Celtics. We’re in essentially the most restrictive CBA atmosphere in NBA historical past, and the Celtics at present have each Brown and Jayson Tatum on supermax contracts that pay them round 35% of the wage cap. That is likely to be tenable if one in all them had been an MVP candidate, as Antetokounmpo is, however since neither is, the monetary burden that these contracts impose on the remainder of the roster won’t be tenable.

That’s a lesson the Celtics might have discovered within the first spherical of the playoffs, when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, Tatum missed Game 7, however plenty of the broader problems with Boston’s roster construction had been on full show in that sequence. Their large males weren’t defensively versatile sufficient. Their point-of-attack protection wasn’t adequate. They relied too closely on 3-point taking pictures, and positive sufficient, all 4 of their first-round losses to Philadelphia noticed them hit lower than 30% of their 3s. 

Even Brad Stevens, the crew’s director of basketball operations, acknowledged the necessity for extra offensive versatility after that defeat. “One of the things we’ve gotta figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim,” Stevens mentioned after the Celtics had been eradicated. “I do think we need to add to our team to do that.” Boston ranked twenty seventh within the NBA in factors within the paint final season.

Antetokounmpo would have been the apparent antidote. Now that he is off the desk and heading to the Miami Heat following Monday night’s blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics must look elsewhere. 

Brown is their finest commerce chip. He’s their likelihood to actually reimagine what this crew seems to be like transferring ahead, and they’re reportedly open to presents. So with the NBA Draft now at hand, let’s take a look at a number of the smart commerce matches for the reigning Second-Team All-NBA participant.

Houston Rockets

Houston has been a widely-discussed Brown suitor partly as a result of his former coach in Boston, Ime Udoka, now leads the Rockets. The query right here is how the Rockets would assemble a commerce — each by way of funds and belongings.

Reports have instructed that Amen Thompson is the one Rockets participant who is actually off limits. Would that make Alperen Sengun the centerpiece of this kind of commerce? He’s not precisely Boston’s typical heart goal. The Celtics choose bigs who shoot and are schematically versatile on protection. Sengun checks neither field, and he makes round $23 million lower than Brown. 

How would the Rockets fill in that void? Fred VanVleet on his $25 million participant possibility? That creates a degree guard gap. Reed Sheppard and Dorian Finney-Smith, maybe? Sheppard overlaps with Payton Pritchard by way of talent set, and Finney-Smith is unhealthy cash.

The various right here could be to construct a deal round Kevin Durant as the first matching wage. His wage will get you nearer to Brown’s — he’ll earn nearly $44 million subsequent season — and you would fill in the remaining with Finney-Smith. Of course, Durant is 37. He might assist Boston now, however he’d drastically shorten their runway. Houston must fill within the hole with draft picks. The Rockets have a lot to commerce: swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets in 2027 (and Boston has a reasonably sturdy historical past with Nets picks), plus management over the Phoenix Suns‘ selections in 2027 and 2029. Boston has been fascinated by Durant up to now. Does that curiosity nonetheless exist?

Houston has plenty of belongings to work with, however most likely does not have the precise kind of gamers the Celtics would need until Thompson was on the desk. This might need to be a three-team deal, however that is a solvable drawback. All of this is determined by what kind of crew the Celtics need to construct with out Brown, and what sort of group the Rockets would need round him. 

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland was broadly seen as a possible facilitator of a Giannis-to-Boston commerce purely for holding management over Milwaukee’s picks between 2028 and 2030. The concept was that the Bucks might get these picks again and Portland might get Brown. Well, these picks most likely aren’t fairly as beneficial to Boston as they’d have been to Milwaukee, however the Blazers nonetheless do have a lot to work with right here.

How would Boston be in Scoot Henderson? He has the athletic instruments to generate a ton of rim strain, however his ending numbers have been horrible so far within the NBA. His shot and point-of-attack protection have improved. He’d be a pleasant swing for Boston, however most likely is not sufficient on his personal to be the centerpiece of a commerce like this, particularly with a rookie extension looming. Would Portland supply Donovan Clingan, its imposing, younger rim protector? The reply might be no. He’d be wanted as a bit for the Brown model of the crew. Toumani Camara, a star wing defender who took a leap offensively final season, would make sense as effectively.

Making the cash work is hard on a number of ranges. Just matching Brown’s $58 million wage alone is not straightforward, however looming over every thing Portland does this offseason is the fact that it wants cap area subsequent summer time if it hopes to renegotiate and lengthen Deni Avdija’s contract. If they do not accomplish that, he can be a free agent in 2028 with loads of keen suitors. This is a little bit of a puzzle, and it would require a 3rd crew, however Portland does have plenty of asset worth to work with.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs had been one in all many groups linked to Brown final offseason, when the Celtics had been seemingly contemplating a spot yr. No deal materialized, however San Antonio’s circumstances have modified since then.

Dylan Harper was able to compete far before anybody might have realized, and after De’Aaron Fox’s poor, injury-plagued Finals, upgrading Fox’s wage slot into Brown wouldn’t solely enhance San Antonio’s expertise, but additionally steadiness out its roster. Putting Harper, Brown, Stephon Castle, and Victor Wembanyama on one crew would create a heavy championship favourite. Brown’s supermax contract has three years left in comparison with the 4 Fox has on his deal, which is notable because it means Brown’s deal will expire earlier than Harper’s inevitably costly rookie extension kicks in.

That kind of improve could be pricey for the Spurs. San Antonio is loaded with tradable draft capital, together with a 2028 swap with Boston that they may retract. While Castle and Harper would certainly be off the desk, perhaps different youthful gamers like Carter Bryant or Julian Champagnie could be gettable. Fox is definitely a foul contract in a vacuum, however he may truly make some sense for the Celtics particularly. He does not strain the rim at practically the speed that he used to, however he is nonetheless above common on that entrance and would seemingly do effectively in an atmosphere with the kind of taking pictures that Boston can supply.

Still, at finest, Fox has solely modest constructive worth; extra seemingly, he is impartial or adverse. The draft and/or younger participant compensation alongside him must be huge, and the Spurs must be very assured that Harper is able to each begin and arrange an offense at a championship degree. They’d have essentially the most proficient beginning 5 within the NBA by far in the event that they pulled this off, however they would not be with out questions of their very own to reply. 

New Orleans Pelicans

The Celtics have been linked to Trey Murphy III on the commerce market, and whereas they’ve a large enough commerce exception to soak up him with out sending out Brown, he’d be a pleasant basis for a Brown commerce as a youthful, cheaper alternative at small ahead. His taking pictures and athleticism would slot in effectively in Boston, although he’d be a significant downgrade on protection. The key could be what else the Pelicans placed on the desk.

New Orleans was pretty unfastened with picks final summer time in its pursuit of Derik Queen. Is there a large enough decide package deal to bridge this hole? Would Boston maybe be fascinated by Zion Williamson as its supply of rim strain? The Queen-Williamson pairing makes little sense, so a commerce, particularly after a comparatively wholesome yr for Williamson, could be clever. Maybe the Celtics might even come away with each of New Orleans’ coveted wings, with defensive ace Herbert Jones sneaking into the commerce as effectively.

Should the Pelicans need Brown? Probably not. He’s a win-now participant and the Pelicans are nonetheless growing two lottery picks from final yr’s draft in Queen and Jeremiah Fears. By the time they’re prepared, Brown’s prime will seemingly be over. But if the Pelicans simply need star energy and an opportunity to be reasonably aggressive, Brown matches the invoice. If Boston needs to show one nice participant right into a pile of fine ones, that is the logical match.

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Atlanta Hawks

Brown is from Georgia, and a return to his house state has been rumored for fairly a while. If a part of the enchantment right here for Boston is breaking apart Brown’s contract, the Hawks are maybe higher positioned to assist than every other crew. They wouldn’t have a single participant incomes greater than $30 million subsequent season. Jalen Johnson could be off the desk, however between gamers like Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, there are many worth offers at Atlanta’s disposal right here.

Timing could be tough with Atlanta selecting at No. 8 total in Tuesday evening’s NBA Draft. If a commerce is not accomplished by then, the asset is inherently much less beneficial purely as a result of Boston would not get to make the decide for the Hawks there. The Hawks might supply future picks as an alternative, or maybe their scouting philosophies are comparable sufficient that Boston might simply take the participant.

Are the Hawks shut sufficient to competition to justify a Brown commerce? I’d lean no, at the very least until they suppose Johnson has one other large leap in him. They even have many gamers who rely on this kind of roster building. Is Dyson Daniels offensively viable with no heart who can shoot like Okongwu, for occasion? There’s a fragile alchemy to this crew, and it should not be altered frivolously.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets and Celtics are in considerably comparable positions as former champions who may want a shakeup. That has made a Brown-for-Jamal Murray commerce a typical rumor. I simply need to lay out how sophisticated such a commerce could be in actuality.

Brown is on a 35% max contract. Murray is on a 30% max contract. If they had been traded one-for-one, the Nuggets, by advantage of taking in more cash than they despatched out, could be hard-capped on the first apron. That’s untenable since they’re basically on the second apron as is. So Denver must mixture salaries, making a second apron exhausting cap as an alternative. Even that may be tough to deal with, as a result of the second Denver exhausting caps itself, the remainder of the league is aware of the quantity the Nuggets can’t legally match in making an attempt to maintain restricted free agent Peyton Watson. They’d be inviting somebody just like the Los Angeles Lakers to return in and steal him.

So the Watson scenario would most likely should be settled first and the Nuggets must dump plenty of wage. Would Boston be keen to take Christian Braun into its $27.7 million commerce exception? That’s one of many NBA’s worst contracts, and the Nuggets haven’t got a lot in the way in which of draft capital to compensate Boston for taking him. More seemingly, Cameron Johnson must go to Boston, which might all however sprint Boston’s desires of ducking the posh tax and resetting its repeater clock… after which Aaron Gordon must be traded elsewhere for a guard, as a result of with out Murray, the Nuggets could be at an infinite dribbling deficit. They’d basically be remaking their complete crew apart from Nikola Jokić.

So, is a Murray-for-Brown commerce possible? I suppose in concept. Is it sensible? No, at the very least not in the mean time. NBA entrance workplaces are inventive. If Denver values Brown greater than Murray and Boston completely loves Murray as a alternative for Brown, that is probably solvable. Just do not wager on it. The Nuggets are a darkish horse at finest right here.