The Boston Celtics have officially ended an era. They shipped All-Star wing and former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown out of town in a shocking trade. On the surface, the return of an aging player and draft picks looks like a massive loss.
But this might be a two-part play. Brad Stevens and the front office aren’t just sitting on their hands. The Celtics are reportedly accumulating assets for another major strike. Their new target? New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. One analyst believes the draft picks acquired in the Brown deal are the key ammunition.
According to Chris Mannix, the move was calculated. “The Celtics can spin that the pair of first-rounders they picked up have value. And they do. The 2028 one will likely end up as the Clippers’, who are beginning a rebuild with an Aspiration-sized anvil over their head. The ’31 pick is Philadelphia’s and, hey, who knows where the Sixers will be in four years. Boston has kicked the tires on Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, sources say. This deal gives them more assets to pursue him,” he wrote.
This strategy is a huge gamble. Trading a top-15 player in the league for future assets is a step back for a team with title aspirations. While Murphy is a lethal shooter who would space the floor for Jayson Tatum, he doesn’t bring the all-around scoring or defensive punch of Brown. The Celtics have willingly made their roster worse in the short term.
By splitting up the Tatum-Brown duo, Boston is betting everything on Tatum’s health after his Achilles tear and a re-tooled supporting cast. They’ve dropped down the ladder in the Eastern Conference. Even if they land Murphy, they’ve created a massive hole that one player might not be able to fill.
