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Is a Jaylen Brown-for-Bradley Beal trade actually feasible?

By Cem Yolbulan

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives against Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards during the game at TD Garden on October 30, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives against Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards during the game at TD Garden on October 30, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images) /
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With the Boston Celtics season coming to a disappointing end in the conference finals, the trade rumors surrounding the roster picked up once again. In the center of these rumors is All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer proposed a trade scenario in his column that would send Brown to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bradley Beal and the no.8 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Should the Wizards consider such a move?

Jaylen Brown is coming off a career season in which he averaged 26.6 points on above-average efficiency of %58.1 True Shooting and made his first All-NBA team. He disappointed in the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat where he shot 16 percent from three for the series and turned the ball over eight times in the crucial game 7 loss. It is important to note that he suffered a hand injury before the playoffs, and despite playing through it, it could have easily affected his dribbling and shooting.

Brown’s super-max eligibility complicates things for Boston

Why are the Boston Celtics even considering trading a 26-year-old star coming off his best season? The main reason is Brown’s contract situation. While Brown is under contract for one more season at $31.8 million, his All-NBA selection made him eligible for a super-max extension this summer. Boston can offer him a five-year deal worth $295 million, with the salary for 2028-29 being a whopping $66 million a year. This is a hefty price tag for a player who is slated to be your 2nd-best player.

If the Celtics find paying Brown a super-max extension following his underwhelming postseason hard to stomach, it behooves them to move on from him this summer. Brown is likely not going to be thrilled if he isn’t paid the maximum amount he can be offered, and if you start the season with an unhappy Brown, your title odds will be diminished, and you risk losing him for nothing next summer.

The trade scenario O’Connor proposed makes sense in a few different ways. Beal is a better scorer and playmaker than Brown and fits better next to Jayson Tatum thanks to his off-ball ability. Beal is also very good friends with Tatum, both growing up in the same hometown and going to the same middle and high school.

For the Wizards, getting rid of Beal’s monster contract is a great way to start a rebuild. Beal has four more years and $208 million left on his contract and can veto any deals thanks to his no-trade clause. Moving him to a championship-level team like Boston next to his best friend may be the only way to get him to waive his no-trade clause.

Brown is a good fit for the rebuilding Wizards

Jaylen Brown also fits Washington’s timeline better. Three years younger than Beal, Brown can be the Wizards’ best player through a rebuild and still be an integral part of the next great Wizards team in a couple of years. The max contract that Brown is surely going to require from the Wizards will most likely be tradeable if the Wizards or Brown want to change course. There simply aren’t too many two-way All-NBA wings in their primes out there.

Is it worth giving up the no. 8 pick in a Brown-Beal trade? It’s certainly hard to justify giving up a lottery pick in a year when you are starting your rebuild. However, if Brown continues to improve like he consistently has since he came into the league, he will warrant a greater asset return in a potential trade in a few years. In terms of assets only, turning Beal’s negative contract into a younger and superior player in Brown, while only giving up one first-round pick is very good value for the Wizards.

The question is more on the Celtics’ side. Could they get a better package than the Wizards’ offer for Brown if they made him available? Possibly. It depends on whether they can conjure up another trade involving the no.8 pick and get more veteran help.

If the Celtics are ready to move on from Brown, this is a golden opportunity for the Wizards. It’s too early to know if the new Wizards front office will immediately look to make a big, splashy move like this one, but if they do, this is as good of a move as they can hope for.

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