Exploring how the picks the Celtics received for Jaylen Brown could shake out, and other thoughts
Shaking my notebook up and down and seeing what falls out as the post-Jaylen Brown era begins in Boston …
Read more Milan Lucic, intrigued by front-office possibilities, turns page quickly from player to pro scout
▪ The Celtics will likely receive two first-round picks and two second-round picks from the 76ers in the Brown trade, but there is one disaster scenario that is extremely unlikely but at least worth noting.
The centerpiece of the Brown deal is a 2028 first-round pick that could end up being a lottery choice.
If the 76ers’ pick falls in the top eight, or the Clippers’ pick that Philadelphia previously acquired is in the top 16, Boston will have the right to swap its first-round pick with the best option among those choices. If the 76ers’ pick is outside the top 8 and the Clippers’ pick is outside the top 16, the Celtics will receive the Clippers’ pick and keep their own pick.
Also, the Spurs will have the right to swap their first-round pick with the Celtics’ own pick, as part of the 2022 Derrick White trade.
But here’s where things get interesting: If the 76ers’ pick falls outside the top 8, the Clippers’ pick lands in the top 16, and the Celtics’ and Spurs’ first-round picks are both better than the Clippers’ pick, then Boston gets nothing from Philadelphia that year.
It would take a comedy of errors to reach this point, of course. The Clippers appear to be entering a rebuild after trading away star forward Kawhi Leonard. The Celtics still have a dangerous core that should be an Eastern Conference contender over the next few years. And the Spurs will likely be favored to win the NBA title in 2028 with Victor Wembanyama leading the way. Still, rosters change suddenly, injuries happen, and anything is possible.
▪ Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and lead governor Bill Chisholm are scheduled to hold a press conference to discuss the Brown trade and Boston’s recent signings at 4 p.m. Monday. Stevens has faced criticism for not speaking sooner, but he is simply not allowed. Transactions cannot be completed until the league-wide moratorium lifts Monday afternoon, so teams cannot comment until then.
▪ Celtics legend Robert Parish said during his SiriusXM radio show this week that he was not a fan of the Brown trade, although he understood why the Celtics might have viewed it as the right decision. But he said former Celtics coach and lead executive Red Auerbach would not have been thrilled about trading away a superstar in his prime.
“I think this would have made him nauseated,” Parish said. “He may have thrown up about this move.”
Parish added that Brown should eventually have his No. 7 raised to the rafters of TD Garden.
▪ Hat-tip to the Globe’s Red Sox beat writer, Peter Abraham, who passed along a tidbit about Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft who threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park before the Sox faced the Yankees last Saturday.
Abraham said Dybantsa was on the field waiting to be introduced when he grabbed a glove, measured 60 feet, and played catch with a ball girl for about five minutes. Dybantsa then took the mound and lofted a strike to Sox pitcher Payton Tolle.
“I thought it was interesting that he cared enough to do it right,” Abraham said. “I’ve seen a lot of athletes from other sports throw out first pitches and screw it up.”
▪ Lebron James’s agent, Rich Paul, was surprisingly candid while discussing his client’s upcoming free agency decision during his “Game Over” podcast. Sitting with co-host Max Kellerman, Paul even displayed a large whiteboard that listed key figures on potential finalists.
Tucked away on the left side of the board, not prominent but present, Paul wrote: “Brad and Tatum,” a reference to Brad Stevens and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics are not considered real threats to land James, but it’s clear that possibility was at least considered.
▪ A league source said second-round draft pick Dillon Mitchell will likely end up signing a two-way contract with the Celtics but added that there could still be a pathway to a regular roster spot. Veteran guard Dalano Banton’s contract for next season remains non-guaranteed.
▪ 2025 Celtics second-round pick Max Shulga has joined the Warriors’ summer league roster. The Celtics declined Shulga’s options for next season, though a league source said there would have been an opportunity for him to join Boston’s summer league squad. Second-year big man Amari Williams, meanwhile, has signed a second two-way contract with the Celtics.
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