Boston Celtics rumors: 3 ways to ignite fireworks this offseason

No. 2: Boston Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown

While I am certainly not in favor of this option, trading Jaylen Brown would certainly create fireworks in Boston. Despite establishing himself as an All-Star caliber player this season, Brown’s name continues to float around in trade rumors for other big names, and maybe Boston’s front office feels it needs to pull the trigger on a deal involving Brown.

Brown came into the league as a good finisher on offense who couldn’t really shoot, while offering good defense on the other end. Now after finishing up his fifth season with the Celtics, Brown has developed into a dangerous scorer at all three levels of the floor, while maintaining his high level of defense. And heading into his age 25 season, it’s scary to consider that Brown may not have even reached his full potential yet.

Based on what we have seen, and what he still could become, Brown’s trade value is very high. But why would you trade Brown and breakup him and Tatum, who have the potential to become one of the most dangerous duos in the league?

The main line of thought seems to be that Tatum and Brown fill relatively similar roles. They score a lot, but they function better as off-ball options, not guys who bring the ball up and initiate the offense. With Walker out of action for most of the season, the offense struggled to get off the ground at times, with both Tatum and Brown experimenting as the primary ball-handler.

So, why not move Brown for a scorer who can also fill a different role than Tatum? The logic makes sense, but does moving Brown actually make sense? There aren’t many other players his age who can do what he does, so trading Brown and breaking up him and Tatum seems like quite a large risk.

But after the season the Celtics just labored through, maybe it’s a risk that needs to be taken. Brown and Tatum have both grown into superstars, but they haven’t been able to reach the heights that have been expected of them. They failed to overcome a lesser Miami Heat team in the bubble last season, and could only manage to post a 36-36 record despite fielding basically the same team from the season before.

Personally, it feels premature to move Brown, as we haven’t really seen what he and Tatum can do over a full season. The Celtics options in free agency will be limited due to their cap situation, but finding a veteran point guard to run the offense (or sticking with Marcus Smart) could help initiate the offense, and solve the issue Boston is faced with. But there is one potential trade candidate who may be worth giving up Jaylen Brown for…