Ever since the Boston Celtics included Jaylen Brown in their unsuccessful attempt to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from Miami, a trade had been expected — However, the shock came when it was announced that Brown was headed to an Atlantic Division rival, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Deal Details and Team Perspectives

According to Jay King and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Celtics received Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks in exchange for Brown. While this return appears modest compared to the high asking price Boston reportedly set for Brown, a source indicated that team officials believe all four picks hold value, whether they are retained or traded in the future.

Perceived Value vs. Market Reality

Other teams began to believe the Celtics were serious about moving Brown after their pursuit of Antetokounmpo failed; Team sources revealed that Brown was kept informed throughout the trade discussions. However, he expressed offense at how the team handled the situation, deeming it disrespectful given his achievements in Boston — Brown confirmed his feelings during a live stream on Thursday night.

League sources told King and Amick that the Celtics made Brown available at the trade deadline in February in a last-minute attempt to acquire Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee. When that effort failed again last month, and as they explored other options for Brown, it became clear that his value around the league was not as high as he believed it should be.

Despite prominent mentions of the Nuggets and Trail Blazers in trade rumors, neither team was willing to meet Boston’s reported demand of four first-round picks, but Executives across the league began to criticize the Celtics for setting an unreasonable price for Brown. Even the Rockets. Who employed Ime Udoka,Brown’s former coach during the 2022 NBA Finals,did not get involved in the discussions.

A source from the Portland Trail Blazers stated that the team was not motivated to acquire Brown due to his high salary ($183 million over the next three years and eligible for an extension this summer) and their analytics assessment showing him to be a negative player at that price. “We were never aggressively looking to trade for him,” the source said. “And particularly not at their price.”

An unidentified general manager from another team echoed that sentiment, telling the authors he does not see Brown as a top-50 player, despite his impressive statistics that earned him second-team All-NBA honors this season.

Internal Dissent and Financial Considerations

According to King and Amick. Some members of Boston’s front office believed Brown’s impact did not match his reputation. However, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens remained a strong supporter of Brown, making him the NBA’s highest-paid player following a disappointing postseason performance in 2023.

Brown’s $57.7 million salary for the upcoming season ranks seventh in the league, but many teams do not believe he is productive enough to justify the cost. Some rival executives told the authors that Stevens was likely surprised by the lackluster market for Brown because the team had never tried to trade him before.

Keeping Brown for another season was deemed too risky by the Celtics, as it could result in a trade request that would put the team in a worse bargaining position. Brown’s enjoyment of last season, when he was the primary offensive option while Tatum was recovering from an Achilles injury, was seen as a red flag. Plus, Brown’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, posted on social media about how effective the Celtics were when Brown handled the ball.

The authors noted potential problems if the Celtics had entered training camp with both players and expected Tatum to regain the offensive focus. It is difficult to imagine Brown being willing to return to a secondary role, which would have made it harder to trade him in the fall.