One of the stories of the offseason has been Jaylen Brown's shocking move from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, paving the way for LeBron James to also land in the 'City of Brotherly Love' last month.
From the moment the Brown trade happened to now after James' free agency move, fans of the Golden State Warriors have questioned why their team didn't further pursue a blockbuster move? Yet it must also be questioned why the Celtics' asking price in discussions with the Warriors was so much different to the final price of Paul George, two first-rounders and two second-rounders, making the Brown trade to a direct divisional rival look even worse.
Jaylen Brown trade looks for Celtics after reported Warriors' discussions
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Warriors and Celtics had discussions over a Brown trade at the mid-season deadline and around the time of June's NBA Draft -- some weeks before the 2024 Finals MVP was ultimately moved.
Golden State were unwilling to meet the steep asking price Boston had of around four first-round picks, according to Charania. The Warriors are justified for not wanting to go to that level in a deal that would have included injured six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, but curiosity remains on why there was no further conversation between the two teams.
From a Golden State perspective, surely they could have provided a counter-offer that was more in their favor, yet still greater than what the 76ers ultimately gave up? From a Boston standpoint, why didn't they go back to Golden State with a reduced asking price before making the trade with Philadelphia?
It's hard to imagine that the difference between two years of George's contract and the expiring deal of Butler -- even with his injury -- was multiple first-round picks. There was a middle ground to be found here that would have appeased both teams, yet neither were seemingly interested in exploring it based on reporting.
76ers made out like bandits in Jaylen Brown trade
What resulted was a stunning trade where fans and analysts were shocked at how little the 76ers gave up, with their dream offseason completed by signing James to form a star-studded lineup that's now arguably the best in the league on paper entering next season.
By not completing a trade with one another, the Warriors and Celtics have now wound up as two of the biggest losers of the offseason. Boston will surely be worse as a result of trading Brown, and Golden State are simply running it back with a roster that missed the playoffs last season.
Was this just a case of the recent Finals rivalry getting in the way of a deal between the Warriors and Celtics? Either way, there's still plenty of questions over the trade talks and Brown's ultimate move to the 76ers.
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