Just when I thought the NBA offseason couldn't possibly get crazier, Brad Stevens stole the show by trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for a bag of chips and a soda. On a serious note, in return for Jaylen Brown, Boston got 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. Yes, you read that right: the Celtics, who were a 2 seed last season, traded a player who finished top-10 in the MVP race for an aging forward and mediocre draft capital.
With the New Orleans Pelicans having reported interest in Brown going back to before the NBA Draft, seeing him traded for as low a price as he just is a gut punch to the fans. The Pelicans have never had a No. 1 scorer like Brown has been for the Boston Celtics over the last several years, and being able to acquire him was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and Joe Dumars fumbled it.
JB just led the Celtics to a 56-win season while averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.4 stocks (steals + blocks) per game. He can truly lead a team and be the No. 1 option on a contender, going back to the 2024 NBA Finals, where he won Finals MVP.
Jaylen Brown could be a Pelican right now
Again, the Celtics got a 36-year-old forward and some meh first-round picks. An offer of Trey Murphy III and one first probably holds way more value than what Boston got from Philly. Even if the price was slightly steeper and New Orleans had to throw in Yves Missi, you do it a million times out of a million. Brown is the type of No. 1 that can transcend an organization like the Pelicans, which have been stuck at the bottom or in the middle for their entire existence.
Brown could have come to New Orleans and actually given this team a shot at building a competitive team year in and year out. Instead, they sat on their hands and made one move: re-signing a 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan to be a glorified assistant coach.
If there weren't already enough signs for the Pelicans to enter a rebuild and hit the reset button on the current roster, this sure feels like one. Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver just got caught sleeping on the job and missed out on an opportunity that would have actually made the Pelicans a real competent team. The whole vision they have for this Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray-centric core would've actually been possible if they acquired Jaylen Brown.
Instead, fans now have to gear up for another year of the same results and brand of basketball that they have watched fail for nearly a decade.
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