Another Trade with the Spurs

[Goldstar88]

In: De?Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, 1st round pick

Out: Jaylen Brown

Celtics starting 5: Fox, White, Johnson, Tatum, Timelord (FA signing)

Bench: Pritchard, Hauser, Champagnie, Queta, Schierman, Gonzalez, Garza, Walsh, Harper Jr.

Fox is 28 years old, same age as Tatum. His best year in Sacramento, he averaged 27pts/6ast/5rebs.
 
Keldon Johnson was 6MOTY this season. He averaged 20ppg a few years ago, so he can take some of the scoring pressure off of D-White.

This trade would give the Celtics a lot of depth and they?d still have a legitimate number two option behind Tatum with Fox. Spurs would slot Dylan Harper into the starting lineup at the point guard position. They?d now have a closer with Brown. Celtics are giving up the best player, but it?s a decent return.

[Roy H.]

Spurs hang up on that one.

[Neurotic Guy]

I am sure Roy is correct though I am terrible at evaluating what a reasonable trade offer is.  That said, I think SA is a smart trade partner on both sides.  Lots of talent - including young assets - to offer from SA. I also think SA should be intrigued about adding a JB to their team. All-NBA, two-way player, highly motivated, hard worker, veteran, champion, Finals MVP, and has a solid 5-year window - maybe more.

[RodyTur10]

In: De?Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, 1st round pick

Out: Jaylen Brown

Celtics starting 5: Fox, White, Johnson, Tatum, Timelord (FA signing)

Bench: Pritchard, Hauser, Champagnie, Queta, Schierman, Gonzalez, Garza, Walsh, Harper Jr.

Fox is 28 years old, same age as Tatum. His best year in Sacramento, he averaged 27pts/6ast/5rebs.
 
Keldon Johnson was 6MOTY this season. He averaged 20ppg a few years ago, so he can take some of the scoring pressure off of D-White.

This trade would give the Celtics a lot of depth and they?d still have a legitimate number two option behind Tatum with Fox. Spurs would slot Dylan Harper into the starting lineup at the point guard position. They?d now have a closer with Brown. Celtics are giving up the best player, but it?s a decent return.

Kind of similar to the idea I proposed here: https://forum.celticsstrong.com/index.php?topic=109959.msg3347167#msg3347167

Celtics get: De'Aaron Fox + 20th pick '26 + Atlanta 1st '27 + cancel swap rights for first round pick with Boston '28 + swap rights for best first round pick from Dallas, Minnesota and San Antonio '30 + San Antonio 1st '31 (included swap rights with Sacramento)

Spurs get: Jaylen Brown

In your case the Spurs give up Johnson and Champagnie. Which are good players and with the arrival of Brown their role may diminish a bit. They have both only a one year contract left and they'll be looking for a big raise in 2027, so I see it as a problem that it is likely that one of them turns out to be a "rental".

So not ideal for the Celtics I find. Those potentially juicy pick swaps the Spurs have I'd prefer. I have trust that we can develop some of our young wings into more reliable shooters. And if Hauser goes back to the bench unit I think he can be a deadly shooter like Champagnie for years to come on a good longterm contract.

I disagree with Roy that the Spurs will hang up the phone. I think they'll be mightily intrigued by the opportunity to obtain an All NBA wing in his prime in Brown who can be a lead scorer if needed and get rid of that awaiting max deal for Fox at a position where they have Harper looming.

For this I find it perfectly reasonable to demand a significant set of assets coming to Boston to complete a trade around Fox for Brown. I have been one of those "annoying" critical voices about Jaylen Brown, but an almost one-for-one-deal I'd find bad business. The scarcity of high caliber wings, the contrast between the seasons both players had and the positional need for the Spurs should shift the market heavily to our advantage.

[RodyTur10]

Deleted

[perks-a-beast]

Give me Vassell, not Keldon Johnson. Also, no need for Champagnie.

Also throw in the 20th pick this year and Atlanta?s first next year and Id consider it.

[Neurotic Guy]

Give me Vassell, not Keldon Johnson. Also, no need for Champagnie.

Also throw in the 20th pick this year and Atlanta?s first next year and Id consider it.

This kind of a deal interests me a lot.  I wish I had a somewhat better perception of D?aaron Fox. Certainly not a reliable three point shooter which would not be a problem unless he starts hoisting more of them to fit in with bostons culture (don?t want another Smart from that perspective). His assists numbers are ok, not eye-popping, for a point guard and I have a possibly misguided notion of him not being the best teammate. Please correct me if that?s off-base.   

But i love replacing JB with an all-star level player who might be a better complement to JT along with good assets.

[jambr380]

I feel like we would be doing a favor by taking on De'Aaron Fox from the Spurs and we are trading by far the best player in the deal. I know you have other pieces and picks coming back, so I assume that is to make up for the difference in talent and value, but Fox is like their 4th best asset and we are trading a guy who will finish 5th or 6th in MVP voting for him.

Last year we had Jaylen trades pushing for Castle and their pick, which ended up being Dylan Harper. I at least want Steph Castle if I'm trading Jaylen. That's at a minimum

[rondohondo]

I really think Vessel is a guy I would target.  He's a really good shooter and is athletic. He might have potential to be the #3 scorer more so than d white.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

If you watch the Spurs, they play so much faster than we do. I wonder if they would even want Brown, because he really only knows how to play a slow, methodical style.

[SparzWizard]

That's a lot for the Spurs to give up just for Brown.

Slide in Derrick White and/or Sam Hauser for them or throw in a pick

[Neurotic Guy]

I really think Vessel is a guy I would target.  He's a really good shooter and is athletic. He might have potential to be the #3 scorer more so than d white.

I like the idea of a solid starter coming with usable it tradable assets.  SA seems like good partner for that especially as JB could be a difference maker when it comes to beating OKC. As JB ages their young stars take over.  And JB has a couple of years to the lead veteran star. Of course anyone there has to be good with the literal and figurative shadow of Wemby.  But being very different players, despite being the best human and non-human  2-way players on Earth seems like a pretty good branding for SA if Wemby isn?t offended by that.

Cs with assets could make noise elsewhere. 

I think SA would need bc 20M more than Vassell to make the trade work.