Jaylen Brown was not traded. Jaylen Brown was salary-dumped. The Celtics canvassed the league asking for anyone who might be interested. They were rebuffed. Repeatedly. They could not manage to get a Tre Murphy swap with fillers. They couldn't manage to get a Jrue Holiday + picks package. In the end, the Sixers offer was underwhelming, but it was the best one they had. And the Celtics learned what many front offices have known for a while. Top 25-30 players who get paid top 10 money become bottom 100 assets, even in their prime. The Celtics paid Jaylen Brown for the same reason the Clippers paid Paul George. They wanted to max out the contention window for their star by re-signing their supporting caste. It's a trap many teams fall into when trying to max contention windows. Klay got the bag post ACL injury because the Warriors wanted to help Steph. Myles got paid so the Bucks could help Giannis. Hell, right now the Raptors are about to pay Kawhi Leonard 170+ million over 3 years to help open up Scottie Barnes' window. But the reality is grim. 29ppg isn't enough anymore. Not without the impact, efficiency, defense and making your teammates better. Brown wasn't a great defender this year. He's an aggressive but less than superstar level scorer... And at nearly 60 million a year, with the analytical impact and player profile of an borderline All Star, the Celtics bet that Paul George + picks was worth getting off of one additional year of Jaylen Brown. It's not a popular decision. But it's reality. Front offices don't value him. Just like they didn't value Ja, BI and Trae Young. Learn the lesson. If you max out these types of players, you're going to be holding them well past expiration. Via The Hoop Collective Podcast