As the third overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Jaylen Brown has been a staple for the Celtics franchise for years now, and his path to stardom has been pretty amazing to witness so far.
But according to a new report by Steve Bulpett of Heavy, the young wing could seek new opportunities if things don’t change in Boston soon.
The Celtics are said to be listening to ALL offers in advance of the February 10 NBA trade deadline. (“They’re not in any position to be closing doors,” said one league exec.) But, barring an unrefusable offer, it’s far more likely the potential for fireworks would come closer to July 4th.
“Right around the draft is when you’re going to see a lot of things happen — all over the league,” said one source of the June 23 dispersal.
And it won’t be just the Celtics making the call on how to proceed. Multiple sources have told Heavy that, absent the team getting its act together, Brown could be the one to acknowledge that the mix isn’t right and seek a move.
Jaylen Brown is among those committed to getting (and keeping) the Celtics on track. And lately they have been far more cohesive.
But if the C's falter again, it's possible he could be the one to admit things need to change this offseason.https://t.co/7U8QQm64zb
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) February 1, 2022
Brown was joined by Jayson Tatum the following year, and those two have been charged with leading the Celtics ever since.
After some initial success early on, especially during the Kyrie Irving era, the Celtics are struggling to cement themselves as a contender in the East. This season, they’re just 9th in the Conference with a 27-25 record overall, and many believe it has to do with the play of the two stars.
“Brown and Tatum don’t have the ability to make their teammates better,” said Parish. “One of the reasons we were so successful going back to the 80s was because of Larry [Bird’s] ability to make people around him better.”
“When Brown and Tatum are doing their thing, everyone’s just standing around. They only have, really, two scorers, so if one of them is struggling, the Celtics don’t have a chance to win. Brown and Tatum have to be spectacular, and that’s impossible to do every night.”
Whatever the future has in store for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown is clearly having some doubts about his ability to win with Tatum.
As the two plot to find a solution, don’t be surprised to see the team make a number of changes to the roster. The most important, move, however, will be deciding the fate of their star duo.
If things don’t turn around soon, everything could fall apart.
