If the Boston Celtics were going to trade Jaylen Brown anyway this offseason (which, by pretty much every account, appeared to be the case), fans should be happier with what actually happened (traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and some picks, including the 2028 Los Angeles Clippers' first-rounder) vs. what reportedly almost happened (traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, along with multiple draft picks, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman for Giannis Antetokounmpo).
Yes, Antetokounmpo is a better player than George and would have likely been the best player Boston could have paired with a prime Jayson Tatum. But trading for him would have also been incredibly risky (injury concerns, not a good fit in Joe Mazzulla's system, relies too heavily on his athleticism at this stage in his career), and when you factor everything else the Celtics would have given up, too, it had all the makings of a disaster.
The Celtics were right to keep their young guys
As the story goes, the Celtics didn't land Antetokounmpo because they didn't want to include Scheierman and Gonzalez along with Brown and multiple draft picks in their trade package.
And while a lot of fans are still clowing Boston's decision months later, it was the right call.
Scheierman and Gonzalez aren't collectively better than "the Greek Freak," and they most likely never will be. But they're also both young players who have already shown signs of potential and can be legitimate role players in Boston for a long time.
In the modern NBA, it is crucial that you have enough depth if you want to make a deep playoff run. Trading Scheierman and Gonzalez wouldn't have necessarily gutted Boston's depth, but it would have taken a big hit for sure. And trading some picks for Antetokounmpo would have made it that much more difficult for the team to either draft enough talent to fill out the roster or make trades happen to do so.
Paul George is a great fit with the Celtics
All the concerns about trading for Antetokounmpo are especially true for George, but at least the Celtics didn't give anything up besides Brown, and they actually got some draft capital in return (and were able to keep Scheierman and Gonzalez).
George is also a great fit next to Tatum, just for different reasons than Antetokounmpo. He is a fanatstic shooter, playmaker, and team defender. Even if he's not the same player he was even a handful of years ago, he can still play, and he already has experience being a sidekick and connector.
Having the Fresno State alum also gives Tatum the reins entirely for the first time in his NBA career, and that's something that should excite Celtics fans. Their best player will have the ball in his hands more often in the prime of his career.
The fact of the matter is that the Celtics were going to trade Brown at some point this offseason. They weren't going to sign him to a new deal, and they needed to get something in return for him.
Only time will tell if Boston made the right call moving on from its homegrown star, but at the very least, fans should feel confident that it took the best deal available, even if it meant that they lost out on a two-time MVP.
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