Windhorst: Celtics decided they need to deal Brown

The blockbuster deal between Eastern Conference foes swaps two highly regarded two-way wings. George, who is coming off an injury-plagued second season with the Sixers, averaged 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds across 37 regular-season games. While no longer in his prime, the veteran is still a capable perimeter defender and scorer, with the size and skill set to comfortably play either forward position. Despite being far removed from his days as a Tier 1 fantasy basketball option, he’ll have some fantasy value in Boston, particularly due to his high-volume three-point shooting in a system that encourages shots from beyond the arc.

The Celtics have been shopping Brown for a while now, and they finally found an offer that made moving on from the five-time All-Star worthwhile. Coming off the best individual season of his NBA career, the 6-foot-6 wing is headed to Philadelphia. Last season, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.0 three-pointers while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 79.5 percent from the foul line. Joining forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey likely puts a dent in Brown’s usage, but his fantasy value should not take too big of a hit, if any, in Philadelphia.

Appearing on ESPN’s First Take Wednesday morning, Charania said the Celtics are strongly shopping Brown and have discussed offers with 8-10 teams in the last several days. This comes on the heels of the Athletic’s Sam Amick reporting earlier this week that Boston will have to lower its asking price to move Brown. Maybe the Celtics are heading in that direction after making players like Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman untouchable in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Charania reiterated that Brown hasn’t requested trade, though it would be surprising if he’s not traded this offseason.

Brown is coming off the best individual season of his NBA career, most of which was played without Jayson Tatum as he worked his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Despite past evidence that the two can work together, most notably the 2024 NBA title, Brown’s name has come up in trade rumors, with the Celtics even offering him and two future first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, while it would be surprising if Brown were not traded, given the rumors, the Celtics are reportedly asking for up to four first-round picks and players. Portland, one team that has been mentioned in connection with Brown, acquired Ja Morant on Monday, and their interest in JB was described as “moderate, at best.” The question is whether the Celtics will be willing to lower their asking price enough to get a deal done, which may also mean that they’re losing out on value.

Windhorst, appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Tuesday morning, said that teams around the league have been preparing in recent days to pursue Brown in the event that the Celtics didn’t complete the trade for Antetokounmpo, who was dealt to the Heat. Now that this exact scenario has come to pass, Windhorst believes we’ll see Brown’s trade market continue to play out with a bidding war for his services. While Windhorst said he thinks it’ll take some time to trade Brown, he also mentioned that a deal involving draft picks could accelerate that timeline with the NBA Draft on Tuesday night. Brown was NBA Finals MVP in 2024 and named to the All-NBA second-team this past season.

Coming off of what he described as the best season of his NBA career, Brown just missed out on first-team All-NBA honors. The Celtics’ star wing was a first-team selection on 44 of 100 ballots, with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham appearing on 60 and finishing with 414 total points to Brown’s 384. Leonard, Mitchell, Durant and Brunson round out the All-NBA second team.

With no Jayson Tatum (knee), it was clear that Brown was going to have to shoulder a far heavier workload in Game 7. He did his best to deliver the victory in Game 7, but the Celtics’ wing appeared to run out of steam late. Brown’s shot selection wasn’t the best, as the 76ers were able to close driving lanes better than they did as Boston made its charge early in the fourth quarter. Brown’s production during the regular season should land him a first-team All-NBA spot, but percentages and turnovers limited his fantasy ceiling. In theory, having Tatum back for a full season should boost Brown’s efficiency, but it may also lower his scoring output.

Brown never really got going offensively in Game 6. His inconsistent shooting was followed by inefficient free-throw shooting in his trips to the stripe. Additionally, his five turnovers to just two assists help paint a picture of the challenges Philadelphia’s defense presented on Thursday. He’ll have a chance to bounce back on Saturday when the Celtics host the 76ers in a win-or-go-home Game 7.

Brown continues to pour in the points, but the efficiency simply wasn’t there in this game. This was the first time this series he shot below 40 percent from the floor. Brown has had a fantastic season, and he should be able to bounce back in Game 6 on Thursday, which will be their next opportunity to advance to the second round.

Brown’s 20 points in Game 4 were the fewest he’s scored in a game this series, having produced 25 or more in each of the first three. He and Jayson Tatum were at their best in the third quarter of Game 4, combining to score 25 of the Celtics’ 39 points. Their production helped Boston withstand a 36-point third quarter for the 76ers, who could not offer up a counterpunch in the fourth. Brown and the Celtics will look to close out the series on Tuesday night.