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Before the Boston Celtics turned their season around, the franchise was considering splitting the Jays duo and trading Jaylen Brown at the trade deadline.
According to a recent article by Bleacher Report, Boston had plenty of worthy suitors, and it looked like Brown would have headed to a contender regardless of the destination. BR's Jake Fischer reported on the teams that were interested in the services of Brown, writing:
"If Philadelphia had not been able to unload Ben Simmons, Brown would have been near the top of the Sixers’ wish list. Atlanta and Miami were often mentioned by league figures as hopeful Brown suitors, too."
He mentioned in his report that Brown might find a new home in the summer. According to Fischer, the Celtics might explore that option in the offseason. If they have a first-round exit in the playoffs, the Jays might split up after all.
"The Celtics had no intentions of exploring that scenario before this February’s deadline, but conversations increased around the league — and among people close to both players — about the likelihood of Boston revisiting that outcome this offseason. Losing can spark wandering eyes."
Jaylen Brown believes the Boston Celtics deserve their respect
Jaylen Brown has helped the Boston Celtics to the scrum atop the Eastern Conference, and he has demanded respect for his team.
They have the best-ranked defense in the league and are dominating opponents every night. The Jays duo have scored 25-plus points in six straight games and are only the third duo to ever do so in NBA history. They joined Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant along with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
Clearly, the Boston Celtics didn't start the year like this. They were struggling, and many considered splitting the Jays duo. Nobody expected this marvelous turnaround, so many Celtics names are left off the award races.
Brown spoke about nominating his teammates and coach for the end-of-the-season awards during a postgame interview. He said:
"We got a little respect around here. Jayson Tatum MVP, Ime (Udoka) Coach of the Year, Rob (Williams) and (Marcus) Smart first-team All-Defense/Defensive Player of the Year. We gotta get some respect. Gotta look at the numbers – and we've been putting up numbers – so you can't turn away from it."
Brown suggested Jayson Tatum should be in the MVP conversation and coach Ime Udoka deserves a Coach of the Year nomination. He also said Robert Williams and Marcus Smart deserve All-Defensive team selections and should be considered for Defensive Player of the Year.
The Celtics (47-29) have the league's third-toughest schedule remaining, but it looks like they can handle any strong team without breaking a sweat. They have an upcoming three-game homestand when they host the Heat, Pacers and Wizards at TD Garden.
Boston was 23-24 on Jan. 21 but has won 24 of its past 29 games.
Guess the Lakers players!
