Boston Celtics fans have spent the last 20 days trying to digest the Jaylen Brown trade, and the biggest swing piece in the deal may be the one that’s easiest to overlook at first glance.
Brown is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick swap, the Sixers’ 2031 first-round pick, and two second-round picks. Most of that package is easy enough to sort through. The 2028 swap is where things get interesting.
That swap gives Boston a chance to choose between the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-rounder, Philadelphia’s pick if it lands in the top eight, or the worst of the pre-existing swap between the San Antonio Spurs and Celtics. In the right scenario, that could turn into a major asset. At the very least, it gives the Celtics a shot at a useful young player on a team-friendly deal.
The real question is what those picks might look like in 2028.
The Clippers are already a team worth watching in that conversation. They landed in the lottery this past season, though their pick went to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since then, they traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round swap, and two second-round picks. That doesn’t exactly scream stability in a crowded Western Conference.
There’s still a path for Los Angeles to sort things out over the next two seasons. No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler could develop quickly.
Ingram might click next to Darius Garland. But it’s still more likely than not that the Clippers are hanging around the lottery rather than pushing far above it.
Philadelphia brings a different kind of uncertainty. The Sixers are set up to be competitive in the next few years with Brown joining Tyrese Maxey, V.J.
Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. All four are under contract through the end of the 2028-29 season, but that kind of talent comes with a cost.
The money will make it tough for Philly to build out the rest of the roster with dependable role players.
That doesn’t mean Celtics fans should assume the Sixers will fall apart. It does mean they may not be quite as overwhelming as plenty of people expect.
And that’s where 2028 gets really intriguing: it’s not hard to imagine both teams ending up in the lottery.
The NBA’s new 3-2-1 Lottery system, which starts in 2027, could make that even more valuable. The lottery will expand to 16 teams, including the eighth seed in each conference.
The three worst teams will have only two ping pong balls. The next seven worst teams will have three.
Teams in ninth and 10th place in each conference will have two chances, and the losers of the seven vs. eight Play-In Tournament games will each get one.
In other words, being stuck in the middle can actually be better than being the very worst team when it comes to lottery odds.
That matters here because the new setup creates a lot more movement. All 16 lottery spots will be drawn for, which means far more shuffling than the old system, when only the top four slots were up for grabs.
If Boston gets the chance to swap with two possible lottery teams, plus the existing Spurs option, that 2028 asset could carry a lot of weight.
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Celtics Camp Battle Could End Badly For One Young Big
Amari Williams arrived in Boston with the kind of size and passing feel that can make a young big stand out quickly, and the Celtics have already seen flashes of that in Summer League. They have also used him as a hub early in games, leaning on his ability to move the ball and steady the offense while he works through the usual adjustment period for a second-round pick trying to carve out a role.
The next step is less about what Williams can do with the ball and more about how he handles the grind on the other end, where pick-and-roll defense has been a clear test. Boston and his mentors have pushed him to play with more assertiveness, and training camp and preseason will tell a lot about whether those encouraging stretches are enough to keep his momentum going. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger issue for Boston is what comes next. Gonzalez already saw his minutes shrink late last season after Jayson Tatum returned, and he was no longer part of the playoff picture, but he still flashed enough when called on to make the organization pay attention. With Jaylen Brown traded, the Celtics are expected to need more from him in the coming season, which means the next step is not about Summer League honors anymore. It is about whether he can turn that promise into a steadier role when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]