Ben Simmons wanting a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers is no secret. The All-Star has not yet played a game for the franchise, and there has been no indication on whether he will do so.
One of the teams that were linked with Ben Simmons was the Boston Celtics. It was previously reported that the Philadelphia 76ers were engaged with the Boston Celtics in Ben Simmons trade talks by asking for Jaylen Brown in return.
However, it was later reported that the Celtics shut down the trade talks the moment that the 76ers asked for Jaylen Brown. While talks between the two teams may have happened, but it’s clear that they were short-lived.
Brad Stevens has recently revealed what he told Jaylen Brown when the trade rumors were swirling. Stevens claimed that he told Brown that the Celtics have an “exceptionally high” opinion of him, and added that he wanted to make sure that Brown had “that peace of mind”.
I just walked up to Jaylen and said, ‘your name is all over the place as you know. Obviously, from our standpoint, you’re a Celtic and obviously a guy that we think exceptionally high of. Nothing doing. I just wanted to make sure that he has that peace of mind… I don’t think he thought twice about it…
The Boston Celtics have not been reported as being interested in trading Jaylen Brown as of right now. Jaylen Brown has averaged 25.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG thus far this season, though he is currently out with injury. There seems to be little reason to separate Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as well, especially since both are young All-Star caliber players.
Trades shouldn’t be made just for the sake of making a trade. While talented players can generally work things out and fit around one another, chemistry and fit are also important aspects of roster-building. While Ben Simmons would help a lot of teams improve, it is hard to see a reason for why a Simmons-Brown exchange would benefit the Celtics.
