Jaylen Brown’s move to Philadelphia has already changed the conversation around the Celtics, and now it may have done something even more painful for Boston: it has helped the 76ers in their push for LeBron James.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Brown is among the players in contact with James as Philadelphia tries to bring him in.
"Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown have all been in communication with James, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, with Maxey leading the charge," McMenamin wrote.
For Celtics fans, the sting goes beyond watching Brown land with a rival. The idea that his trade could also be part of what nudged James toward Philadelphia makes the whole thing harder to swallow, especially with Boston and the Sixers both chasing the best possible outcome this season.
James is no longer at the peak he once was, but he still carries the kind of weight that changes a team’s ceiling. Put him with Brown, Embiid and Maxey, and Philadelphia would be rolling out one of the most talented groups he has ever joined.
And the fit is obvious. The Sixers would not need James to be the whole offense. They would need him to handle the playmaking and the connective work, the stuff he still does at a high level even in his 40s.
That is what makes this all feel so brutal for Boston. The Celtics already had to come to terms with tearing down a championship team because of CBA restrictions. Now there’s a chance those same decisions helped build something dangerous in a rival locker room, too.
Boston may have had no real choice under the new rules, and maybe it would have moved Brown anyway. But there’s a big difference between making a hard decision and seeing it strengthen Philadelphia in the process.
The Celtics did benefit from a rival’s bad move once before. Milwaukee got desperate and sent Jrue Holiday to a team that didn’t need him for Damian Lillard, and that opened the door for Boston to get Holiday.
Philadelphia is simply taking advantage of the opportunity in front of it, just as Boston was trying to adapt to the environment it was given. Still, if the Sixers land James, this whole chain reaction could leave the Celtics staring at a very uncomfortable season.
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Celtics Fans May Feel Very Different About That Jaylen Brown Trade Now
When Boston moved Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, it was the kind of deal that immediately invited second-guessing. Brown had been a centerpiece in Boston, and any swap built around an older star and future assets was always going to be judged by how the next few seasons played out rather than by the initial reaction alone.
Now the long view looks even more complicated for Celtics fans, because the leagues latest scrutiny around Kawhi Leonard has only added to the sense that star-player trades can turn on factors no one sees coming. Bostons return from Philadelphia includes a pick that could carry real weight down the line, and the value of any future asset in this kind of deal often depends on how quickly a contenders window shifts. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]