Bill Simmons: Jaylen Brown wants to be traded to Houston?

Yes, Green and Segun are statistically better than Brown was at the same age.

But Right Now - Brown is the better player.

Suggesting that either or both of Green & Sengun follow the same career arc is a questionable projection. There's no guarantee either of them reaches the level of Brown currently. I'm not even sure "It's Likely" or even 50/50 that either reaches that level.

I'm not saying to trade either or both of them .... I'm just saying it's not totally crazy to ponder the question.

On this we totally agree .... The idea to me is that the combination of acquisitions made this offseason has to make the team an instant contender, otherwise I'd rather stay the course with the young cats.

Trade for one of Brown or Bridges.

Sign Jerami Grant for ~$25ish million.

Sign Harden for a one plus.

Player X to the room exception - (Naz Reid if you moved Sengun)

Your early draft pick.


That's a lot of turnover .... and it might cost you KPJ, Tate and one of Green / Sengun plus whatever picks involved.
But that kinda team, retaining one of the above along with Jabari, Tari and your top pick this year looks like one that could make a hell of a lot of noise going forward.

 

Recordwise the Kings are a WC contender but their D and inexperience indicate they are pretenders for now without any additions.

The term contender is a vastly vague one.

You never get Grant or Bridges for 25 million a year now.

They are 33+ million players, that is how the market is.

Are they willing to take a paycut for aging Harden and an uncharismatic Stone, I highly doubt it.

 

Upping usage by 7% pts and scoring 5 more ppg while decreasing ts% by 1 would be an improvement especially considering the added defensive attention and worse roster

 

The concept of taking on risk for development of players is something any GM who wants to build a core of young talent has to take.

Your logic implies any time a team aquire talent like Booker or Brown or Tatum and they are 20 it's time to find a disgruntled star and prematurely ejaculate and try to get some 8th seed mid magic.

I'm going to be frank if the Rockets trade Green or Sengun for Brown this franchise is going to turn into a mid team for a decade. Please God I hope this isn't the route they take.

 

It's actually scary people are willing to do this type of trade.

You want to trade two guys who haven't even had the big "third year jump'" to see who they truly are especially under a new coaching staff for a borderline top 20 player. It's absurd.

Even if you don't like Green or Sengun why the fi k wouldn't you just wait for their third year where they will undoubtedly improve somewhat? Is Green's trade value going to increase or decrease next season if he just moderately increases his efficiency? Same with Sengun? And next season there might be even more disgruntled higher level superstars.

 

Green will not be traded. He has superstar potential and competing teams need a superstar. He may never get there, but it is way too early to give up on him. I feel the same about Jabari. The only one the Rockets might contemplate is Sengun based on this year’s draft pick or in the unlikely event that a Star center forces a trade.

 

Ok, it is clear that ClutchMcPearls here would rather send thoughts and prayers that these guys develop in 5 years rather than start getting better now....

Here is what happens in that scenario "clutchy".....

Players tire of losing and will refuse to sign extensions and will leave to other clubs because of it...you will never hold 5 players together to grow together, won't work, maybe you can get 2 or 3....so pick the 2 or three and start flipping others.

DD

 

I think most people are ok with keeping the top 3 (Jabari, Green, Sengun) and flipping others. If this year’s top pick is not 1 or 2, most would be ok with flipping that too. Your argument keeps changing. At first, it was trade Green or Sengun for Brown. Now it’s I’m ok with keeping the top 2 or 3 players. I can only assume you are advocating for a top 3 that includes KPJ, which only you and BTG would rate in our top 3 to keep.

 

Nah that's stupid. We don't know how much better JG and Sengun could get. If this was their 3rd or 4th year i'd consider it but they can end up being Gasol, Lavine level players so that would be a simply m*ronic thing to do atm.

 

Here are the organizations that have won multiple championships in the past 30 years and how they found a player to build around and create a contender:

Lakers - 6 total, 5 by draft (Kobe) and 1 by free agency (LeBron)
Warriors - 4 total, all by draft (Curry, although Durant was added to the existing core for 2 of those runs)
Spurs - 5 total, all by draft (Duncan)
Bulls - 3 since 1993, all by draft (MJ)
Heat - 3 total, 1 by draft (Wade)
Rockets - 2 total, both by draft (Hakeem)

Total: 23 titles, 20 of them by building a contender around a star acquired through the draft.

Sustained success is built by finding a superstar through the NBA draft. I firmly believe the Rockets should not trade away players who have the potential to become stars until they have identified a guy to build around. Right now, we have three of those players in my opinion (Green, Jabari, and Sengun) and potentially a fourth one on the way in this year's draft.

We need to develop the guys we have, and we also should not trade away top 5 picks while players with legitimate superstar potential are on the board (which includes guys like Amen Thompson despite how much development they have left to do).

Stay the course!

 

Also it's just far more satisfying to win a ring with a core you've watched get drafted and developed on your team.

Like the Rockets champion in 94 is far more satisfying to fans than a Raptors championship where they literally got a one year rental to get it.

 

people talking as if the entire core would be headed out the door for Jaylen Brown…

 

I didn't say he didn't improve. I said his shooting is like a repeat of last year. I'd give that he is getting more defensive attention. But his shooting is also slightly worse across the board, even after he got more free throws. That means he has not yet figured out how to beat the defensive attention or being more consistent in his shooting.

I still see a high ceiling in him and I actually like him. But his second season is not very encouraging at this point. The third season will show more clearly whether he is on his way to stardom or just a high volume chucker. I do hope that better coaching will help.

Anyway, the discussion is whether I would trade him for Brown. I've always argued that you take the sure thing over potential unless the potential ceiling is much higher than the sure thing. Brown is top 20. Green's ceiling is top 10, but probably not top 5 because of his limitations on defense and playmaking.

Don't forget that it is still possible for Brown to get better if he is the first option. But even if he has reached his peak, he already has proven to be a main cornerstone of a serious contending team.

 

Jaylen Brown has a usage rate in the 30s and averages less assists than Green dude... On a team that has a lot more players that can consistently knock down a open shot.

That's kinda pathetic.

Brown is already a a first option. The Celtics do "your turn my turn". They have two first options.

 

It would probably take a minimum of 2 of our top trade pieces (meaning Green, Bari, Sengun, and our own pick this year), maybe more. We don't know yet which of those will become the Rockets' best player and we shouldn't trade them until we do.

 

maybe if our pick this year falls down to 5-7, it would be included in a Jaylen Brown trade, but other than that, no

this isn’t some top 10 player with multiple years left on his deal that would be on the trade block

the BK picks, Clippers pick, and 1 of the young players would be on the table

 

If I thought there was any chance we could get him for a package like KPJ + Eason + BK/Clippers picks I would obviously take that, but I don't actually think that would happen. I would be very hesitant to part with Green/Sengun/Bari in any deal unless it was getting us what you described, a legit top 10 player.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be worth it value-wise, I just don't think it's the right organizational move. You only do that type of deal when you already have a guy to build around.

 

I am not advocating for anything other than getting Brown - and would trade anyone on the roster for him, at the right price.

I am ADVOCATING flipping players to accelerate the development and to get some older VETERAN BETTER players in to teach the up and comers.

DD

 

You can get good veteran players to mentor our young crew and add to the win total without trading away the young core. We have $60M in cap space. Use it.

 

If we landed # 1 and got Wemby then I think no doubt you offer Sengun, Tate, KPJ, etc with the BKN and LAC picks. Sengun would be benched then anyway unless you could run a Wemby/Sengun front court with Smith at the 3. And if you did now you have no spot for Brown lol.

If you got pick 4-7 I’d include it in the trade and hold onto Sengun.