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The blockbuster offseason continued this past week with the Boston Celtics dealing superstar Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange Paul George, two first round picks in 2028 and 2031, and two second-round picks in 2028 and 2030.
Brown’s name had come up in trade rumors after the Celtics tried to use him to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, but were rebuffed by Milwaukee, who traded Giannis to the Miami Heat.
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Brown finished sixth in MVP voting and was second-team All-NBA this past season, leading the Celtics to the second best record in the East with the team missing Jayson Tatum for the majority of the season.
Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 71 games.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Denver Nuggets inquired about acquiring Brown.
“Denver was a team sources say Brown did hold a level of interest in going to, but the Nuggets’ preliminary talks were solely focused on Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson. Trading Jamal Murray was not on the table for the Nuggets, and with Denver holding zero tradeable draft capital, the Celtics looked elsewhere,” wrote Siegel.
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Gordon and Johnson wouldn’t have been enough to make the money work, and the Nuggets would have also had to include another player, likely Jonas Valanciunas, to push the trade through on a financial level.
The Nuggets have first round picks to trade in 2031 and 2033.
In George, the Celtics got a 36 year old who has one year remaining on his deal that pays him $57 million this upcoming season and a player option the following year for $56 million.
Gordon has two years guaranteed on his deal at $31.9 millon and $34.5 million, before a player option worth $37 million can be excercised in the 2028 offseason. Johnson is on the last year of a deal that will pay him $23 million.
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Brown has three years left on his deal that averaged out to $57 million a year.
It would have been a risky one. Though Brown is coming off a terrific season, he can be ineffecient with his shooting and overall offensive game. He’s not a great three-point shooter, and could hurt the spacing in the Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic pick and rolls.
He could be very effective as a slasher with the passing of Jokic, but does he accept that role after his favorite season ever where he was the number one option?
He’s not a seamless fit into the Denver offense like Johnson was when they acquired him for Michael Porter Jr, or Gordon is after years of developing chemistry with Jokic and Murray.
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Brown also wouldn’t solve their cap issues, and they’d likely still have to salary dump Christian Braun after re-signing Peyton Watson, effectively trading three starters for Brown.
In the end, it’s probably best for Denver that this deal didn’t materialize.