At approximately 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. So many buzzes. It was like that scene from “Toy Story 2” when hundreds of Buzz Lightyear action futures were on the store shelves and a few started fighting.
Buzz, after buzz, after buzz. But why?
The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP who averaged 29 points last season. No. 7 on the court just finished No. 6 in regular season MVP voting, to boot.
Speaking of boot, Brown just got it — all the way out of Beantown and to the City of Brotherly Love. None of my friends were happy about it; neither was I.
He was fun to watch with his right-handed hammers, tough perimeter defense — remember when he kept stealing the ball from Luka Dončić during the Finals? — and, heck, even his trash talk.
We Celtics fans love good ol’ smack talk. M. L. Carr, Danny Ainge, and Kevin Garnett, anyone?
Brown bled green (for a while, at least).
And like trading an Oreo for two Fig Newtons at the lunch table, the Celtics received a 36-year-old, injury-prone Paul George in return. He’ll turn 37 around playoff time and can’t attack the basket like his Indiana Pacer days.
But — wait for it! — he’s still very, very good.
Add four draft picks, and I don’t mind the trade at all.
After fumbling the ball with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the 1-yard line, using Brown as bait, his departure was as inevitable as Thanos’ snap. (He was the big, purple villain from “Avengers.”)
President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens obviously isn’t done, either. Why doubt him now after years of watching him play chess, while everyone else played checkers?
“Without Brown, the Celtics won’t make the playoffs. Let alone contend for a championship.”
Woah. Slow down.
The Celtics might’ve gotten a bit worse short-term, but not making the playoffs with a prime, healthy Jayson Tatum is an absurd prediction. Especially with the NBA’s stupid play-in tournament thingy.
The half-court arsenals of George and Tatum are beyond smooth. We might as well call them Bread and Butter. (I want a dime every time someone says it now.)
You’ve also got Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and newly-acquired Mitchell Robinson from the New York Knicks. Role players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh don’t hurt. Veteran point guard Mike Conley also joins the squad.
That’s pick-and-roll galore, sharpshooting, no competing egos — even if Tatum and Brown never admitted it — and clear best and second-best options.
Two words: play ball.
Do I think the Celtics are the No. 1 seed in the East? No.
Does this roster, as it’s currently constructed, take down Oklahoma City, New York, or San Antonio? Probably not.
But with time, a few more moves, and a top-five player on the planet staying healthy, the Celtics will be OK.
I promise.
