In what is probably the biggest shocker of the entire NBA offseason, the Boston Celtics sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. This is a shocking return considering the fact Jaylen Brown made the All-NBA Second Team and helped lead the Celtics to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
We are now a year removed from the Desmond Bane trade, but it suddenly looks even better for the Grizzlies than it already was, especially considering the return the Celtics just got for Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown won a championship alongside Jayson Tatum in 2024 and went on to win Finals MVP for his efforts. Brown is simply in his prime and playing the best basketball of his career.
It is puzzling that the Celtics did not get a better return for an All-NBA caliber player. Plus if anything, it makes the Grizzlies look even better for the return that they got for Desmond Bane last season.
The pick haul for Bane was better than what Boston got for Brown
Desmond Bane is a solid player in this league and should be praised for the growth he made as a player in Memphis. However, despite how solid and well rounded Bane is, he has never landed on an All-Star team or an All-NBA team in his career. This is not a dig at Bane's talent, but it's simply impressive that the Grizzlies got the return they did compared to what Boston got for Jaylen Brown.
Yes, it's true that Jaylen Brown did not play a great first-round series against his new team. But Jaylen Brown will still just be 30 years old on opening night and is playing some of the best basketball of his entire career. Brown has five All-Star appearances and has landed on multiple All-NBA teams in his career, yet the Celtics did not get more than two first-round picks.
What makes the return even more shocking for Boston is that Jaylen Brown was even drawing significant MVP buzz for his strong performances while Jayson Tatum was recovering from an Achilles tear. There was even some talk of the Celtics potentially tanking before this past season, yet they still managed to finish 56-26.
As to why a trade happened. It is important to note that Jaylen Brown has three years and about $183 million left on his current deal. There is some understandable skepticism from the analytics crowd about his impact, but it still doesn't excuse the return Boston got. Paul George, while still solid at 36 years old, is past his prime, and it only makes the pick haul look worse for the Celtics.
The Grizzlies could end up winning the Bane deal even further
How does this make the Desmond Bane trade look even better for the Grizzlies? Desmond Bane is a very solid player, but the Grizzlies got a much better pick haul for a solid player than the Celtics got for a proven All-NBA talent in Jaylen Brown. Getting four first-round picks and a pick swap alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony is looking like the best deal of the Zach Kleiman era.
The Grizzlies have already selected Cedric Coward as a result of the trade. If Karim Lopez pans out after trading back from a pick acquired in the Bane deal, the Grizzlies could potentially win the trade by an even wider margin.
With how the offseason is playing out throughout the league, the Grizzlies made the Desmond Bane trade at the perfect time and likely wouldn't have gotten as good of a return had they waited.
Even though Jaylen Brown will stay in the Eastern Conference, the trade shows that the Grizzlies were right to sell high on Desmond Bane when they did.
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