Apr 18, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after his three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter during game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
After a horrendous performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics have to answer to decide what to do with Jaylen Brown. That might mean trading him.
The former third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has finally lived up to his potential. This season, Jaylen Brown averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists on 49 percent from the floor, 34 percent from 3, and 75 percent from the free throw line. All, except 3-point shooting, were career highs for Brown.
This resulted in Brown being selected to All-NBA second team meaning he had one of the four best seasons of all guards in the league. Being selected to the All-NBA team makes Brown eligible for a five-year, $295 million extension this offseason.
It looked like Brown was going to be offered this extension until his performance in the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists on 42/16/67 splits. In Game 7 at home, Brown had 19 points on 8-of-23 from the field, 1-of-9 from three, with 8 turnovers. After coming up short in the playoffs for years, the Celtics have to at least consider trading him this offseason.
Potential trade suitors for Jaylen Brown: 3. Washington Wizards
Going into this offseason the Washington Wizards also have a lot of questions to ask themselves. Bradley Beal has a huge contract and they have two key players entering free agency in Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma.
For the talent that the Wizards have on their roster, they had a very subpar season winning 35 games. They have to decide whether or not they want to keep Porzingis, Kuzma, and Beal this offseason.
With Jaylen Brown on the trade market, this may be their opportunity to hit the rewind button. In order to trade for Brown the Wizards would have to give up Bradley Beal in the trade but this would allow Brown to come in as the guy.
Brown has been in one of the biggest markets and biggest spotlights in the NBA since he entered the league. Going to the Wizards would put him in a much smaller market and spotlight that could benefit him. One of the biggest problems that has troubled Brown in Boston, is the clash of who is the guy between him and Jayson Tatum. If Brown were to be in Washington, there is no debate on who the best player is.
As for the Celtics, getting someone like Bradley Beal would just be a nice change of scenery and there would be no clash on who the best player is. With Bradley Beal’s play style, he could feed off of Jayson Tatum a lot easier than Brown can.