Separating fact from fiction during trade season is like trying to scrape the salad dressing off a tossed salad and throw it back in the bottle. Sure, we can get some of it in there, but it’s a tedious job, and people keep eating it all as you’re working.
We’ll keep trying anyway.
As the people paid to have opinions keep theorizing, the people paid to know the facts keep saying the same thing: There is nothing brewing on any trade front that would drastically remake the Boston Celtics, especially when it comes to trading Jaylen Brown.
“I have not heard any material, true discussions,” Brian Windhorst said in an appearance on CLNS. “Maybe someone has called on Jaylen Brown, maybe, but I have not heard one iota of Jaylen Brown being available.”
That also extended to Derrick White, whose name has been floated in speculative trade proposals as well. Both names have been involved in theoretical discussions for Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the consensus is that Antetokounmpo is trending towards a pre-draft trade, there is no smoke coming from Boston.
“I have not heard that Boston is on Giannis’ list. I have not heard he is prepared to sign the extension with Boston,” Windhorst said. “ So, frankly, the Jaylen Brown part is moot to me. If I hear ‘yes, yes,’ now let's have a discussion, but I haven't heard that.”
There is the obvious caveat that maybe some of these things are being played close to the vest, which is entirely possible with Brad Stevens and the Celtics. They operate in silence and do a great job avoiding leaks to even the most trusted of insiders. So a reporter, even one as plugged in as Windhorst, can miss some of the typical indicators.
But what is more likely is that Stevens is sticking to what he said at the end of the season, that it’s more likely the Celtics will pursue smaller moves.
“I don't take for granted how good we've been when we've been full,” he said in the immediate aftermath of the season. “When we've been full, and all on the court and playing together, we've been a good basketball team. Those are hard to get, so we just have to be better around the margins.”
That doesn’t sound like a guy trying to blow things up. Again, it doesn’t mean he won’t, because we can’t predict what other teams will do and what unforeseen situations may arise. If a monster deal comes along that makes sense, the Celtics will do it. But nothing in this scenario, from giving up on a 30-year-old All-NBA player to giving an almost 32-year-old with somewhat chronic injuries a nearly $300 million extension, makes sense considering where the Celtics are.
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