While we are clearly title contenders now and into the future, if Brown is unwilling to sign an extension this off-season I would prefer to see us deal him now rather than later, officially telling everyone this is Tatum’s team. I’m particularly intrigued by the fact the Spurs may be in a similar situation with Murray this off-season, who may pull a Kawhi and say he wants to go to a big market title contender. If that opportunity arises, this would be a truly masterful series of moves in a 3-team agreement that makes each team better considering the situation with JB/Murray:
TOR In: Brown, Prichard, Richardson, 2024 BOS 1st, 2026 BOS 1st (SAS agree to remove the swap, we send it unprotected)
SAS In: Van Fleet, Nesmith, 2027 BOS 1st swap (unprotected)
BOS In: Murray, Barnes, Birch
The deal obviously needs to come with Murray agreeing to a max contract, and it probably would require a wink and nod that we’ll subsequently use our TPE and 2022 second round pick to take on McDermott from SAS.
Extend Grant Williams, bring back Horford, sign a ring-chasing vet at the MLE, bring in Begarin, and we are set for a dynasty-run where Tatum is top banana and would never walk from all the winning/potential to be the highest paid player in the NBA in his 30s by sticking with Boston:
Murray/White
Smart/White
Barnes/G. Williams
Tatum/Horford
Timelord/Theis
Bench: McDermott, Ring-chasing MLE 1/2, Birch, Stauskas (or ring-chasing vet at the minimum), Begarin
Murray is another guy Ime knows and loves. He is a great defender and better facilitator than Smart, who’s still retained and a starter with White as 6MOTY. Scottie Barnes is already as good of a defender as Brown, and he may eventually be better in all other dimensions (and he’s only 20 and would be on the team for three years on his rookie deal and then RFA after that, so we’re getting 6-7 years of cost-control on him coupled with maxed out Tatum and Murray).