The trade of former Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown to their rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, was one of the most shocking moves of the offseason. Before the trade was official, Brown was rumored to have interest from several teams, including the Washington Wizards.
Due to Brown's hefty contract, there weren't many avenues to make a trade to the Wizards work, and the only way it would have made sense was for the Wizards to build a package centered around Anthony Davis.
Despite the 76ers' impressive win on opening night against the reigning champion New York Knicks, and Brown having a solid 19 points, eight rebounds, and 6 assists, the Wizards were right to hold off on trading Davis for the star wing.
Jaylen Browns fit with Wizards wouldn't have made sense
Player for player, Brown is likely better than Davis currently. Between Davis' recent injury history and Brown coming off a career season averaging 28.7 points per game, it might be crazy to think that trading Davis for Brown wouldn't be worth it for Washington.
It's simple: the wing position is incredibly clogged. The Wizards' most important long-term piece is number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa, whose primary position is small forward, just like Brown. If Brown were on the team, he would take many of the minutes and shots that Dybantsa will get this season, which wouldn't be good for his development.
Not to mention, Brown would be a horrible fit alongside Trae Young. Both players need the ball in their hands the majority of the time to be successful. The reason his situation in Philadelphia could work out is Tyrese Maxey's success playing off the ball. Young isn't that type of player.
Davis, while being older and maybe a slightly worse player, fits the roster much better than Brown does. He's still an elite defensive anchor and an elite pick-and-roll threat with Young. He can use his gravity on offense to open up the court for the players around him, even if he doesn't have the ball. The same doesn't apply to Brown, because he's not nearly as valuable when the ball isn't consistently in his hands.
The team can also mitigate Davis' lack of 3-point shooting given his position, but Brown isn't an elite shooter in his own right. Due to positional value, Browns inconsistency from the perimeter would hurt the offensive system a lot more than Davis' does.
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