The Boston Celtics were one of the underperformers in the NBA this season. They had two All-Stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum backed by a solid support group and a great coach in Brad Stevens. Yet they struggled all season and as expected, bowed down in the NBA Playoffs.
Some analysts have suggest that the Celtics should get rid of Brown. The swingman is an absolute beast. He has turned into a complete player but he seems to have turned into a mirror of Tatum, which isn't necessarily good for the Celtics' chemistry.
As such, the Celtics should pursue trades, no matter how unrealistic, with Brown as the main piece. It will be a long shot as the Celtics need someone who can guide their squad to a deep postseason run. And this player will come at a value much higher than Brown's worth.
Celtics get: Chris Paul
Suns get: Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart
The mention of Chris Paul's name alone in trade talks is ridiculous. After all, the Phoenix Suns would want to have the Point God back next season after leading them to the NBA Finals. He boosted the development of the Suns' young guns and maintained a high level of play at 36 years old.
Paul will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason which means that any transaction that involves him would have to be a sign-and-trade. Also, rumors reveal that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in his services. LeBron James and crew are in dire need of a point guard as talks with Dennis Schroder aren't going that well. And we all know Paul is a very good friend of LeBron. Apart from that, the Lakers are a powerhouse squad. Paul would be once again closer to his dream of finally embracing an NBA trophy.
At this point in the Celtics' development, a player with Paul's stature is what they need. The Celtics should completely ignore the realities surrounding Paul now and just offer a trade package. By now, given what CP3 has done with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Suns, the Celtics know that he will at least lead them to a deep postseason run. After all, it's not as if the Celtics are a trash team. They have a very potent roster. Paul will be the one who will unlock their talents.
Celtics get: Julius Randle
Knicks get: Jaylen Brown
Julius Randle is obviously the franchise guy for the New York Knicks right now. It was good to see him finally bloom into the All-Star that he is after some struggles early on. Apart from this, the Knicks have absolutely no reason to press the reset button after their early exit in the NBA Playoffs. The 2020-21 season was just the first step of the long process to become contenders.
This is what makes this deal difficult for the Celtics. But at the same time, this isn't entirely impossible as Brown himself could turn into a franchise guy for the Knicks. His rise to becoming the face of a team may have been hampered by the presence of Tatum. And if you look at the playing styles of Randle and Brown, they actually have some similarities. Brown seems to have a better grasp of the outside game, but he can absolutely get down and dirty in the paint if he wants to. This will make it easier for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau as he won't have to make wild adjustments.
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