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While reports suggest the pursuit landed as soon as Ja Morant came to town, the Portland Trail Blazers' hopes of landing Jaylen Brown ended on Wednesday.
In an absolute stunner, the Boston Celtics opted to send Brown to their rival, the Philadelphia 76ers, in exchange for Paul George, two future firsts and two future seconds.
Portland was infamously in on Brown for a while leading up to the shocking Morant trade that saw the Blazers send Jerami Grant and Khris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Brown was long considered a potential pivot option should Portland miss out on Giannis Antetokounmpo — who was ultimately dealt to the Miami Heat. But before the "Greek Freak" was South Beach-bound, a trade for Brown absolutely made sense.
Boston appeared to be seeking a third team to help properly compensate the Milwaukee Bucks for Antetokounmpo ... and the Blazers seemed like one of the leading contenders.
They owned control over the Bucks' picks in 2028 and 2030, and sending those selections back to Milwaukee was Portland's presumed route to Brown.
That deal never materialized, nor did Boston come anywhere close to the value it could've got in exchange for the 2024 Finals MVP.
Which has to make you wonder ... if all it took to get Brown was George and a couple of firsts and seconds ... why exactly did the Blazers end their pursuit?
Sure, handing Brown to Micah Nori may have forced the first-year head coach into a small-ball lineup with Morant and Damian Lillard as the two guards while Brown plays the three. That isn't ideal, but the talent would be undeniable — especially for the price of admission.
A very strong case could be made that a Blazers offer surrounding Jrue Holiday and either Shaedon Sharpe or Scoot Henderson ... plus draft capital ... would absolutely be more value than what the Celtics got back.
Plus, dealing those two would've helped clean up the backcourt logjam that presently exists.
And this is coming from someone who, personally, didn't envision an amazing fit between Morant, Lillard and Brown had Portland made the move. But now seeing the return package, it makes me wonder why the Blazers or any of their rivals didn't pounce on this opportunity.
Perhaps there's more to Brown's story with Boston than meets the eye, but until that possible information emerges, Portland will live with the reality that an attainable past target is wearing someone else's jersey.
Continue reading...
In an absolute stunner, the Boston Celtics opted to send Brown to their rival, the Philadelphia 76ers, in exchange for Paul George, two future firsts and two future seconds.
Portland was infamously in on Brown for a while leading up to the shocking Morant trade that saw the Blazers send Jerami Grant and Khris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Brown was long considered a potential pivot option should Portland miss out on Giannis Antetokounmpo — who was ultimately dealt to the Miami Heat. But before the "Greek Freak" was South Beach-bound, a trade for Brown absolutely made sense.
Boston appeared to be seeking a third team to help properly compensate the Milwaukee Bucks for Antetokounmpo ... and the Blazers seemed like one of the leading contenders.
They owned control over the Bucks' picks in 2028 and 2030, and sending those selections back to Milwaukee was Portland's presumed route to Brown.
That deal never materialized, nor did Boston come anywhere close to the value it could've got in exchange for the 2024 Finals MVP.
Which has to make you wonder ... if all it took to get Brown was George and a couple of firsts and seconds ... why exactly did the Blazers end their pursuit?
Sure, handing Brown to Micah Nori may have forced the first-year head coach into a small-ball lineup with Morant and Damian Lillard as the two guards while Brown plays the three. That isn't ideal, but the talent would be undeniable — especially for the price of admission.
A very strong case could be made that a Blazers offer surrounding Jrue Holiday and either Shaedon Sharpe or Scoot Henderson ... plus draft capital ... would absolutely be more value than what the Celtics got back.
Plus, dealing those two would've helped clean up the backcourt logjam that presently exists.
And this is coming from someone who, personally, didn't envision an amazing fit between Morant, Lillard and Brown had Portland made the move. But now seeing the return package, it makes me wonder why the Blazers or any of their rivals didn't pounce on this opportunity.
Perhaps there's more to Brown's story with Boston than meets the eye, but until that possible information emerges, Portland will live with the reality that an attainable past target is wearing someone else's jersey.
Continue reading...
