Jimmy Butler was a potential trade candidate for Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics
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Jimmy Butler was a potential trade candidate for Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics
When it comes to the way the Boston Celtics handled the trade that sent Jaylen Brown the Sixers rather than a spot that was so close to home–pretty much any other team in the league would have qualified–there are two frames of mind. First, it can be seen as useless to relitigate the trade because it happened, it is over with, and it’s best to move on. Second is the opposite view, the one that says we should keep looking at it to figure out how it happened, how it could have been avoided and what it means for the future.
Longtime Boston sports fan Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, is clearly in the second camp, still trying to process what happened to a franchise that once seemed on the brink of a mini-dynasty but has since been torn asunder, with the Brown deal the most dramatic final act of it all.
Simmons reported on his podcast this week something that had been floating around among NBA executives for weeks as the Celtics sought a partner for a Brown trade–the Golden State Warriors had no interest, in Brown and, it turns out, the Celtics had little interest in what the Warriors could offer, anyway.
Celtics Were ‘Not Interested’ in Injured Jimmy Butler for Jaylen Brown
Go back to June, when Brown chatter was at its highest pitch. There had been speculation that Brown, who played at California in college, would welcome a return to his old stomping grounds. And there was speculation, too, that the Celtics had eyes on the three first-round picks the Warriors have on hand. Ultimately, not only did the two sides not find a match, but they were never really even close.
On his podcast, Simmons wondered why the Warriors did not get involved with the Celtics in the Brown mix, before answering his own question.
He said of the Warriors: “They weren’t interested. They were like, they didn’t even counter, when the Celtics were canvassing the league doing the Jaylen fire sale, the Warriors by all accounts, both sides, (the Celtics were) just not interested for Jimmy Butler’s expiring and some picks.”
Simmons then threw in a speculative curveball on what might have happened with the Warriors had the Celtics sent them Brown: “And the irony is, if they do that, I think LeBron (James) goes there.”
Celtics Could Have Had More ‘Optionality’ With Jimmy Butler
No matter how big a fan of Celtics boss Brad Stevens you may be, you were probably quite tired of hearing him use the phrase “optionality” during his press conference explaining the Brown trade. Ultimately, the Celtics took a package of two first-round picks and two second-round picks, plus veteran Paul George, from the Sixers for Brown.
The idea was that the Celtics could be more flexible with George on a two-year deal, plus the picks.
Jimmy Butler is on a one-year deal, and the Warriors have three picks to trade (2028, 2030 with protections and either 2032 or 2033). That’s more optionality. Plus, sending Brown to the West Coast rather than to the Celtics’ biggest rival would have eased the sting for Boston fans, and might have led James to land elsewhere, to boot.
But with Butler coming off a torn ACL and with the Celtics still hoping to be competitive even as they retrench without Brown, there was trepidation about taking back Butler and essentially waving a white flag on the 2026-27 season.
Issues With Jaylen Brown’s Game
But the Celtics learned that though Jaylen Brown was an MVP candidate and an All-NBA player, Golden State, like a lot of teams, had reservations about his efficiency. Brown is at his best in the midrange, and that’s is not a place where a lot of NBA teams like to live. He’s also ball-dominant, turnover prone and a subpar 3-point shooter.
A team could likely live with one of those flaws, but not three. That was part of the reason the Celtics hoped to sell high on Brown. It just did not work out quite as planned.