Sometimes, whether in the NBA or in life, the stars suddenly align.
According to a recent report from NBA insider Marc Stein, “There is a belief in some corners of the league that Atlanta, Houston and Portland all have legitimate trade interest in [Jaylen] Brown. Which is something to file away if you’re looking for participants that might be interested in joining an eventual multi-team [Giannis] Antetokounmpo trade construction.”
At this point in the offseason, there are a few things we know—or at least can assume with confidence.
1. The Milwaukee Bucks would like to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they’d love to get most—if not all—of their future first-round picks back in the process.
2. The Boston Celtics would love to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they’d sell high on Jaylen Brown to do so after the swingman’s career year.
3. The Portland Trail Blazers own those Bucks picks; they will have a seat at the table in any and all Giannis talks; and they need a scoring star to ease the offensive burden, even with Damian Lillard’s return on the horizon.
Put everything together, and you have yourself a blockbuster three-team trade in the making.
Potential Trade Details
Let’s address something right away.
This is a lot for Portland to give up. For maybe one or two more draft picks, you might be able to get Giannis outright.
But the Blazers need to retain some semblance of future draft rights, and this is a way to bring in a true star without selling the farm.
The other elephant in the room is Scoot Henderson. Or, more specifically, the idea of giving up both Scoot and Shaedon Sharpe. That’s the type of outgoing-prospect package you might expect for a Giannis, but you also have to consider whether Scoot or Shaedon ever become anything close to Brown.
Does Shaedon ever become 30 percent of what Brown is today? Does Scoot become 60 percent?
Odds are, in realistic NBA terms, they don’t ever reach Brown’s ceiling or anything close to it, considering the Celtics star just finished the year No. 6 in MVP voting.
But guess what? Jaylen Brown is 100 percent of what Jaylen Brown is today. If that makes sense.
And if it that does make sense to you, then you’re someone who views results and star power above potential.
That might be just what this Blazers team, entering a true win-now stage, needs.
Why Jaylen Brown?
Boston isn’t the only team getting in on the Giannis sweepstakes this summer.
Houston will be involved. The Miami Heat will make calls. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will do their due diligence. And, as crazy as it sounds, the NBA Finals-bound New York Knicks will check in on Milwaukee’s asking price—especially if their run at a title ends in flames against the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
Of all those teams, though, Boston’s star is most appealing to Portland.
Think about it. If Houston is the team involved in talks with the Bucks and Blazers, that likely means Kevin Durant is headed to Portland. We’re at least three years removed from that being desirable. And Portland isn’t likely to convince the Rockets to deal Alperen Şengün instead.
If it’s the Lakers, would they sign and trade LeBron to the Blazers? No. And as for the Warriors, do the Blazers really want Jimmy Butler and maybe Brandin Podziemski? Again, no. And. again, we’re years too late on the Jimmy discussion.
As for the Knicks, Portland might have interest in Karl-Anthony Towns. He’d likely have to play 4 alongside Donovan Clingan—or the Blazers would send Clingan to the bench as a Sixth-ish Man. But that roster fit isn’t perfect for the Blazers, and the Knicks, who are in the Finals, might not want to send out their second-best player, someone who seems to bleed orange and blue more than anyone not named Jalen Brunson.
Jaylen Brown would fit a Blazers roster need and slide into the depth chart in a way nobody else on the marke would.
That has to mean something for a Blazers team ready to compete not years down the road, but right now.
Projected Depth Chart
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Deni Avdija
PF: Toumani Camara
C: Donovan Clingan
6. Jrue Holiday
7. Matisse Thybule
8. Kris Murray/Sidy Cissoko/Vit Krejci
9. Sidy Cissoko/Kris Murray/Robert Williams
10. Robert Williams/Yang Hansen
Depth could be an issue here. Especially if the Blazers don’t make any moves to improve the backup 3 and 4 positions.
Ideally, the Blazers would negotiate hard enough to work a Thybulle sign-and-trade into the deal in place of Scoot Henderson, making Scoot the backup point guard and Jrue the backup 2.
But even in this scenario, the Blazers build potentially one of the best, most versatile starting lineups in the NBA. That’s a big deal, and it’s one Portland would feel good about, considering the chemistry that second unit would have after making a playoff run this season.
Is it Likely?
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Since the Blazers’ offseason began, they’ve been in the rumor mill. There’s a reason for that, and it’s because general manager Joe Cronin and new owner Tom Dundon both seem to be on the same page about being buyers and targeting a real star.
If you’re skeptical, I don’t blame you. The Blazers have literally never pulled off a trade for a superstar in his prime. It’s always been fun to think about, but nothing has come from it.
This summer feels different. With Giannis on the market and Portland owning the Bucks’ future first-round picks, the Blazers have leverage in a way they’ve never had before.
Will that result in a deal? It’s not a guarantee. But it feels like we’re as close as it’s ever been to happening.
And while Jaylen Brown might not excite people the way Giannis would, the fit and the price tag might make more sense than the Greek Freak when it’s all said and done.
Be the first to comment