[McMenamin] “There was no personal rift between LeBron James and Doncic, multiple team sources told ESPN. There was more of a disconnect between James and the organization, sources said, one that started during the doomed 21-22 season following the Russell Westbrook trade and never fully recovered.”
[Franko] Kessler was the franchise center Doncic wanted so badly, and from the people I’ve spoken to I can confirm he pushed hard for this move. This should be a very fun offensive team, built around both Doncic’s and Redick’s basketball philosophies fully aligned with the Doncic and Reaves timeline
Austin Reaves is now the oldest player on the Lakers roster
Bill Simmons was getting a colonoscopy when the Jaylen Brown trade was announced
Brad Stevens has deleted his Instagram account
[Charania] BLOCKBUSTER: The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.
[SI] Jalen Brunson on Luka Doncic: “Getting drafted with him was special because I learned a lot from him. He was already great at everything he did. So being able to grow with him as friends and teammates and as players made me better. That’s my guy, man. I love him to death, for sure.”
[Haberstroh] Payton Pritchard in 861 minutes without Jaylen Brown last year averaged 27 ppg with 8 assists per 75 on 61% TS. The Boston Celtics believe that he’s their in-house version of Jalen Brunson
[Haberstroh] The truth is that in the last four seasons, the Celtics without Jaylen Brown went a sizzling 47-10 (.825), which is the equivalent of being a 68-win team. That’s not analytics. That’s just counting wins and losses for a team without a certain player.
[Charania] “My understanding is Jaylen Brown through all of this, never requested a trade. He never asked out of Boston.”
The Jaylen Brown trade is a watershed moment for leaguewide valuation of advanced stats over traditional ones. A player in his prime with his level of box score stats and traditional resume having such low value is unprecedented.
[Jones] SOURCES: The Philadelphia 76ers have reached out and are expressing interest in acquiring LeBron James.
[Jones] Jaylen Brown “…had apparently fallen so out of favor with Brad Stevens and the rest of Boston’s front office that he was traded for relative pennies on the dollar.”
Reminder: Andre Drummond is only 32 years old, he was drafted 14 years ago.
[Woike] The Lakers are seeking a young wing to help with their perimeter defense with Jonathan Kuminga receiving significant consideration
[Iko] Kings wing DeMar DeRozan, who is owed \(25 million for the upcoming season — with only \)10 million guaranteed — is hoping to accelerate his exit, either by being waived and testing the open market or being traded sooner rather than later, sources say.
LeBron, you can still change your mind.
[Windhorst] Even though Jaylen Brown was talking about himself for MVP, the Celtics did not feel like Jaylen had the best season on their team. They felt that Derrick White had a better season.
Ringer’s Chris Ryan finds out about the Jaylen Brown trade: “Multiple people have tried to call me— Did Joel Embiid get traded? Did LeBron go to Philly? Is it about basketball? Is it about somebody I care about? Somebody is a Sixer now?… Anthony Davis?” (via @ringer)
[Victor Oladipo] I’m a free agent. I don’t have an agent right now just me and my family. I know I have a lot left, and I genuinely love this game…If you’re about winning, value mentorship, and think there could be a fit, you can reach me directly. I’m open to every opportunity right now.
[Charania] Around the league my phone is being flooded with people texting me “Paul George and picks?”. Once it was out there Jaylen Brown was available for trade, you saw his value for whatever reason start to diminish as the last week went on.
Lonzo Ball on his parents:
“My mom didn’t want to leave. She was, quote-unquote, forced to leave. I helped her leave. I’m glad she left. She’s in a great spot…They obviously don’t f*ck with each other, but I fu*k with them both.”
[Scotto] JUST IN: The Toronto Raptors have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Darko Rajakovic.
[Haberstroh] The Celtics are banking on Payton Pritchard making a Jalen Brunson-type leap: “The Celtics trading Jaylen Brown is a bet that Payton Pritchard is their in-house version of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, a diminutive player who didn’t fully show his talents until Luka was out.”
[Charania] Just in: Free agent forward Tobias Harris has agreed to a two-year, $31 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell ESPN. Harris exits the Pistons after helping lead a franchise turnaround and now joins a young contending team in the Western Conference.
In the 3 times Paul George has been traded, his teams got back: Jaylen Brown, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, Danilo Gallinari, 6 first round picks, 2 second rd. picks, and 2 pick swaps
[Iko] League sources say [Brown’s] frustration with the Celtics had reached a point of no return, ultimately forcing their hand… Celtics were seeking either a plug-and-play star that could mesh with Tatum or substantial draft compensation. In the end, neither was achieved.
[Charania] Free agent center Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. A critical frontcourt addition for the Nuggets.
[Amick] A league source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect sensitive conversations, confirmed that the Nuggets have indeed reached out to James’ camp to formally register interest
The forgotten athleticism of OKC Kevin Durant
[Charania] BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030, sources tell ESPN. Kessler will sign a massive four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers.
The Lakers now have no tradeable first-round picks over the next seven years and have committed $475 million to Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler
Jaylen Brown talking about his new teammate, Joel Embiid two months ago: “Flopping has ruined our league. Joel Embiid is one of the greatest players that has played basketball, but he flops. He knows it too.”
[Haberstroh] The Celtics trading [Jaylen] Brown is a bet that [Payton] Pritchard is their in-house version of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, a diminutive player who didn’t fully show his talents until Luka Dončić was out of the picture
[Woike] It starts with Kessler, a player Doncic wanted at center most of all. The Lakers believe he fits “perfectly” alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, a team source told The Athletic. The biggest draw is Kessler’s rim protection — which charts as close to the best in the league.
The Philadelphia 76ers now have $500 million committed to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown over the next three seasons.
[Charania] Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team.
[MacMahon] The simple fact is, the analytics-driven front offices believe that Jaylen Brown is significantly overpaid, and they don’t value him as much as the media does. The media is the one who votes on all those awards.
[O’Connor] Multiple league sources say LeBron has had discussions about filming the entire season, with live-streaming potentially folded into the final product. So even if LeBron takes a discount on his NBA salary, the money could come back through the documentary.
Pritchard + Hauser + Scheierman + Queta + Walsh + Garza + Gonzalez are making under $28m combined. They played >60% of the Celtics total minutes last year.
[Stein] The Mavericks have emerged as a suitor for Anfernee Simons, league sources say. As @JakeLFischer reported yesterday, Golden State and Miami have continued to pursue the free agent scoring guard who finished last season with Chicago.
[Charania] On Jaylen Brown trade: “Sixers reached out to the Celtics made offers in recent weeks…the Celtics had such a high bar on a deal. They were thinking if you’re gonna trade us Paul George we need 4 firsts, 5 firsts, we need a player like a VJ Edgecombe. That was the bar that was set early”
[MacMahon] This was the best offer (the Celtics had on the table for Jaylen Brown. (From the Sixers) It wasn’t for a lack of hunting, searching.
Things Jaylen Brown could have done to justify this trade
[Bill Simmons Pod] Bill on Jaylen Brown: “Where is Tatum? The guy who could squash this is the alleged leader of the team. Nothing, it’s been dead silence.”
[BasketNews] Steven Gansey shared a photo of his brother Mike, the 76ers’ new president, alongside LeBron James…. They were both top-tier high school stars in the state wherein back in 2001, Gansey was actually the runner-up to LeBron for the Ohio Mr. Basketball award.
[Charania] Free agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has agreed to a two-year, nearly $17 million deal to sign with the Indiana Pacers, sources tell ESPN.
Bill Simmons trade value takes on Giannis and Brown aged like milk
[Weiss] Speaking to people around the league, I still have not found someone who thinks this Jaylen Brown trade makes sense… The best theory is that they have another move lined up around the corner that utilizes all these assets.