Im sure JT knew JB was being discussed in trade talks.
Im sure JB knew that he was being discussed in trade talks.
But unless JT is in the war room, I doubt he knew the specifics of the deal or the timing of the deal. And if he really is as hands-off as he says he is, it wouldnt surprise me if he found out about the exact trade just moments after it was agreed upon.
And with how fast info gets leaked now with all these insiders, as soon as the deal was agreed, I would imagine the news practically broke within minutes (or hours) of the deal. Not days.
TP, this is how I think it went down too. Because of player-GMs like LeBum or Kawhi who previous front offices allowed to have a hand in creating the team, I think a lot of fans think that players are there in the background with the front office. I feel like it's really bad practice for an organization to do that because if your locker room thinks one of the players can trade you or influence your career, I don't think that's a good thing for that locker room. There's always a delineation of responsibilities - front office constructs the team, coaches coach the team, players play. Once you have the perception of overlap that's where trust breaks down (as it clearly has with JB in this case).
Now do players have a general idea of what's happening? Of course they do. We do, and we're not anywhere near as close to the team as them. Anyone can guess that someone might be on the trading block, just from rumors or their agents talking to each other or the NBA grapevine. But are they officially part of the decision making and know the details behind a trade to the point when it will happen? For a professional organization that manages leaks and information flow, I don't think they are, nor should they be.
Also keep in mind, trades aren't official until both sides agree - imagine telling JT "we're trading JB to Milwaukee for Giannis" then it falls through, then they tell him "change of plan, we're now trading JB to Philly for PG13" that's going to be a distraction for JT that the team could probably do without.
So did JT know or not? As LilRip said he probably knew that JB was being discussed in trade talks, as JB probably did himself, but did he know to who? Or when Brad pulled the trigger? I would be surprised if he did, given how professional the Celtics front office is. Of course, JB is a more suspicious kind of fella
