It has been almost two weeks since the Boston Celtics sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, and the reaction around the move has been anything but calm. Some fans have tried to talk themselves into the return package - Paul George, 36, plus four picks - but plenty of others are still stuck on the same question: why didn’t Boston hold out longer and see if a better offer surfaced?
That frustration makes the Kawhi Leonard angle look a lot different now.
Leonard was one of the names floating around in the trade-machine chatter when Brown was the center of the rumor mill, and even though that was only hypothetical noise, the idea is enough to make Celtics fans breathe a little easier. Boston may not love what it got for Brown, but at least it didn’t end up tied to Leonard’s situation.
According to The Athletic, the NBA has opened a second investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers and Aspiration worked together to get around the salary cap and funnel extra outside money into Leonard’s contract.
Leonard was dealt to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a swap, and two second-round picks - or at least he will be whenever he’s cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Raptors, per Mike Vorkunov, do not expect severe penalties.
Still, if the league does find Leonard and the Clippers guilty, the fallout could be serious. ESPN’s Shams Charania laid out the possible consequences during a guest spot on the Shump Street podcast.
“The absolute worst is Kawhi Leonard’s contract being voided, or him being suspended for a significant period of time,” Charania said during a guest appearance on the Shump Street podcast. “Whether it’s 40/20 games or entire season.. it all comes down to the evidence and what’s found in the investigation.
Is there proof Kawhi Leonard had participation in this? To my knowledge he has denied all of that.”
That’s the kind of mess Boston could have walked into if it had pulled the trigger on Leonard instead. Instead, the Celtics are left with draft capital, including the complicated 2028 pick swap that stands out as the centerpiece of the return. There’s also the 2031 76ers pick, which could become meaningful once Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe all need new contracts after the 2028-29 season.
Keeping four stars happy won’t be simple.
In Other News...
Brad Stevens Somehow Changed The Red Sox Mood In Boston
The Celtics blockbuster move involving Jaylen Brown and Paul George landed at just about the same time the Red Sox started heating up, and in a city that lives and breathes its sports moods, the timing has been impossible to ignore. There is no real connection between the two, of course, but Boston has a long memory for coincidences that feel bigger than they are, especially when one teams headline seems to line up with anothers surge.
Since that trade, the Red Sox have kept winning, turning the kind of random overlap fans joke about into a small running story around town. The streak has stretched long enough to make the calendar feel like part of the narrative, with Bostons baseball team carrying the positive energy all the way to the break and leaving the kind of lingering question sports fans love to ask, even when they know better. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics May Be Seeing Dillon Mitchell Answer His Biggest Red Flag
Dillon Mitchell arrived in Boston with one obvious question hanging over his game, and Summer League has offered the Celtics at least a promising early answer. The second-round picks shooting was a concern after a rough three-point showing in college, but his jumper has looked smoother in Las Vegas, with Bostons coaching staff working alongside him to clean up the mechanics and give him a more reliable base to build on.
Mitchell has also played with more confidence, which matters just as much for a young wing trying to carve out a role. The Celtics have made his development a priority since the draft, and Mitchell has embraced the process, knowing the path forward is about repetition, comfort and proving the shot can hold up when the games get real. [Read more 🡒]