Celtics' Brad Stevens Gives Brutally Honest Reason for Trading Jaylen Brown in New Interview image
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The Boston Celtics shocked the NBA when they traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason.
Not only were the Celtics criticized for trading a five-time All-Star in his prime coming off a career season, but many were underwhelmed by what Boston got in return: a 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Celtics president Brad Stevens has already addressed the trade, but he had even more to say about it in a new video over the weekend.
"It's something that you have to just say, 'Do you think where we currently are and doing what we've done will get us to where we want to ultimately go? If not, does it make sense to explore other pathways, even if that could be very tough in the near term?'" Stevens said.
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Stevens also explained the complications of the apron rules, emphasizing the need for "more people who can play at a high level" and a deep bench to compete in today's NBA.
"When the league adopted the apron rules four or five years ago that they eased in over time, we knew that our window was going to be that first couple of years to be exceeding that," Stevens added.
"Last summer, when we made the moves we made, we knew we would ultimately have to do that with the new apron rules, the thresholds and the challenges of trying to operate in that neighborhood. Those challenges aren't the financial part. It's the limitation on trades, the future draft pick issues, etcetera, etcetera."
The Celtics were one of the NBA's biggest surprises last season, winning 56 games despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season, but the good times didn't last long, as they blew a 3-1 lead in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It marked Boston's first loss in the first round since 2021.
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The Celtics could've rolled it back in hopes that Brown and Tatum could recapture some of the magic that led them to a championship in 2024, but the rest of the Eastern Conference got better this offseason.
There's reason to believe the New York Knicks can be even better after winning the championship; the Miami Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo; Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is healthy again; the Toronto Raptors could be real contenders if the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through; and the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers will still be expected to compete.
And, of course, the 76ers now have Brown and LeBron James thanks to the Celtics.
Celtics fans might never get over Stevens trading Brown, but his explanation does help make sense of the shocking deal.
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