The Golden State Warriors didn’t just miss out on Jaylen Brown, according to one report - they may have had enough to beat the Philadelphia 76ers’ offer and still chose not to push harder.
That’s the latest sting for a Warriors team that has already drawn heat for a quiet offseason. After missing the playoffs last year, Golden State was expected to make real noise while Stephen Curry still has a championship window. Instead, the moves never came, and the Brown situation has only sharpened the criticism.
San Francisco Standard reporter Danny Emerman said the talks between Golden State and Boston never reached an advanced stage, but he also suggested the Warriors were in a stronger position than people might think.
“I understand that conversations between the Warriors and the Celtics never got really serious. I think it was kind of like a preliminary stage situation,” Emerman began. “I think the Warriors could have matched or exceeded Philadelphia’s offer fairly easily, and Jaylen Brown is the exact type of player that they need.”
He went further, pointing to Brown’s ability to lighten Curry’s workload and fit into the Warriors’ style.
“They need someone who can carry them through the regular season to take the load off of Steph Curry, and that’s even independent of whether adding Jaylen Brown might have put them over the top for LeBron James… He [Brown] would have fit really well, I think, with the Warriors. Or like, better than most people would think because of the stylistic concerns. But I think the Warriors should have been more in play.”
Brown’s production last season makes the idea easy to understand. He finished sixth in MVP voting while averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, shooting 47.7% from the field and 34.7% from three. On paper, that’s the kind of player who changes the shape of a roster, and Emerman argued the Warriors’ doubts about his leadership were off base.
The Brown trade also shifted the conversation around Philadelphia. His move to the 76ers strengthened their case as a destination for LeBron James, and now they’re sitting with what the source described as a superteam while Golden State is left to wonder what might have been.
The key question is whether the Warriors could actually have topped the 76ers’ package. Emerman said yes, at least in theory.
Philadelphia’s final offer reportedly included Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. The structure made sense for Boston’s desire for draft capital, and George’s salary helped make the numbers work. It wasn’t a clean win on basketball terms, though Boston reportedly believed George would fit better next to Jayson Tatum than Brown.
Golden State had a path to beat it. Jimmy Butler’s $56.8 million contract could have handled the salary matching, and the Warriors could have matched Philadelphia’s two first-rounders while possibly adding a third.
With limited second-round assets, they might have been able to include only one second-round pick. Even so, a package built around three firsts and a second would have looked stronger on paper.
But there were two big problems.
First, Butler is still coming back from his ACL injury. The source notes there is optimism he could return in the first half of the 2026-27 season, but Boston would have to weigh that against the time needed for him to settle in and build chemistry with Tatum. Even if Butler’s expiring deal would create future cap room, the Celtics reportedly would not be eager to make that move.
Second, the Warriors have shown little appetite for sacrificing more draft capital. Even with the assets to compete, the front office has no intention of giving away extra picks. That hesitation, more than anything, helped leave Brown out of reach.
There is at least some logic to Golden State’s caution. Joe Lacob is already looking ahead to a future without Curry, and keeping draft picks fits that outlook. Still, with the roster the Warriors have now and Curry’s loyalty hanging over everything, the source suggests the franchise may be headed toward a point where the superstar has every reason to consider leaving the Bay Area.
In Other News...
Joel Embiid Update Gives 76ers Fans Real Reason For Hope
Joel Embiids summer has apparently gone about as well as the 76ers could have hoped, with Nick Nurse saying the big man is in shape, active and feeling much better as he gets back on the floor and into the weight room. After a season in which Embiid still produced at a high level, averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, Philadelphias bigger concern was never the production. It was the availability, as he appeared in only 38 regular-season games.
Nurses update matters because the Sixers do not need a reminder of how different the team looks when Embiid is healthy and moving well. For now, the early read on the offseason is encouraging, and that alone gives the organization some badly needed optimism heading toward the new season. The real test, of course, will come once the games start and the grind begins to look a lot more like the one that has challenged Embiid in recent years. [Read more 🡒]
Grant Williams Just Eased A Big 76ers Fear About Jaylen Brown
Grant Williams helped calm one of the lingering concerns around Jaylen Brown this week, offering a firsthand view of what Brown and Jayson Tatum were like during their time together in Boston. Williams, who shared the Celtics locker room with both players from 2019 to 2023 before he was traded to the Mavericks, said their relationship was respectful and positive on and off the court, a detail that matters because Brown has long been viewed through the lens of how he might fit with Philadelphia if the 76ers ever circle back.
For the Sixers, the bigger issue has never just been Browns talent. Its whether the personality and basketball fit would hold up in a new setting, especially with the rumors that have followed him because of his ties to Tatum and the Celtics recent years of title-chasing. Williams comments do not answer every question about a potential move, but they do take some of the edge off the concern that Browns dynamic with a star teammate would be a problem in Philadelphia. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Made Sixers-Celtics Feel Even More Personal
Jaylen Browns arrival in Philadelphia already gave the Sixers-Celtics rivalry a sharper edge, and his introductory press conference only added to the intrigue. Brown spoke respectfully about Jayson Tatum, the teammate with whom he won a championship in Boston, while making clear the two have not communicated since the trade that sent him to the 76ers.
For a team trying to reset itself around a star-studded starting lineup, Brown brings both production and baggage in the best possible way. He comes off a season in which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, and now his move to Philadelphia gives the Sixers another marquee name as they chase a major turnaround next season. [Read more 🡒]