“Me and Danny had an hour’s conversation about it, Danny said ‘I ain’t trading Jaylen’” - Former Celtics big man says a James Harden-Jaylen Brown trade could’ve taken place in 2020
Jaylen Brown's future has been one of the hottest topics in the NBA in the past week. According to reports, the Boston Celtics included Brown in a trade package for Kevin Durant.
Brown, coming off an NBA Finals appearance with the Celtics, wasn't too pleased with this and it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.
According to ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, Danny Ainge could have traded Brown for James Harden back in 2020. However, he refused to do so.
"Brown could have been traded for James Harden when he wanted out of the Rockets, wanted out of Houston. Me and Danny had an hour conversation about it, then he said, 'I ain't trading Jaylen Brown for James Harden,' because he knew his value."
Back in 2020, Ainge was the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics. However, Brad Stevens succeeded him in 2021 when Ainge was hired by the Utah Jazz.
Jaylen Brown is a great young player and a fantastic trade asset
“Jaylen Brown's improvements are staggering when you compare his current skillset to his pre-NBA self.”
From shot mechanics to ball-handling to finishing, Jaylen Brown is light-years from the player he was in college. @MG_Schindler highlights the leap:
basketballnews.com/stories/apprec…
Over the past two years, Brown has become one of the best perimeter players in the league. He averaged over 24 points per game in the last two seasons and became a reliable scorer.
Furthermore, he has two more years left on his contract and will be paid $26.7 million next season. Considering how good he is, Brown's contract is a great trade asset, so it is not entirely unreasonable to involve him in a potential Kevin Durant trade.
Brad Stevens has done a commendable job running the Boston Celtics. He's a fantastic coach, but he's also proven he's capable of handling a bigger role with the franchise.
However, Perkins pointed out that Stevens did not play a part in drafting Brown and as such, might not mind parting ways with him.
"We have to always remember this, Danny Ainge drafted Jaylen Brown, not Brad Stevens."
Brown was the best Celtics player in the 2022 NBA Finals and led his team to two huge victories over the Golden State Warriors in a hard-fought series.