The Boston Celtics don’t want a Jimmy Butler or Paul George if it means surrendering Jaylen Brown.
Despite seemingly endless assets, team president Danny Ainge bowed out of the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes before the former Chicago Bulls guard got traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brown might be the biggest reason, according to the Boston Globe‘s Adam Himmelsbach:
Danny Ainge on @CSNNE on response when Jaylen comes up in trade talks:
"Very close to as soon as his name gets on there, we hang up."— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) June 23, 2017
It makes some sense the Celtics might not want to give up Brown, the 2016 draft’s No. 3 pick. Boston didn’t trot him out much last year while trying to contend, but he averaged 6.6 points on 45.4 percent shooting over 17.2 minutes.
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This might change next year, with Brown perhaps ready to take the court alongside rookie Jayson Tatum.
And for his part, Brown sounds ready to take the next step, as captured by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald:
“But next year I think I’ll have a bigger role. I’ll know where I need to score in the offense. I’ll know exactly what they mean by everything. So my preparation this summer will be much different from what it was last summer, and there will be no wasted motion.”
Ainge has been strict about the course of his rebuild other than the signing of Al Horford. He wants his young guys to get out and play while not sacrificing other young assets in the process.
While Brown isn’t necessarily the focal point of the current roster, it’s clear the front office views him as a critical part of the equation.
Brown, a former top-three pick, is certainly an asset other teams would love to have, especially if giving up a superstar like George. But the Celtics, as usual, don’t figure to blink and will continue to take the conservative approach. Brown has a green light going into his sophomore campaign.
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