The Toronto Raptors can try as hard as they want to make it out of the Eastern Conference, but the Boston Celtics are going to be a major threat to that goal as long as Raptors admirer Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are in town. Both of them have evolved into perennial All-Stars with blinding speed.
Not only is Tatum widely viewed as a superior player and a potential MVP frontrunner, but he is locked into Boston for the foreseeable future. It is highly unlikely that he will wear a non-Celtics jersey in his career. The other half of that duo, however, might not be as much of a sure-fire bet to stay in Boston long-term.
In a profile with The Ringer, Brown sounded non-committal on playing with Boston long-term. While the idea of Boston letting a player like this go seems unprecedented, the Raptors need to cross their fingers and hope that relations between the two parties deteriorate to the point where Brown trades in his bright green jersey for something else.
“I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me,” Brown said. “We’ll see how they feel about me over time, and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correct.”
The Toronto Raptors could benefit from Jaylen Brown leaving Celtics
Brown is averaging 26.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, both of which are career-best marks. Brown has averaged 19.2 points per game against the Raptors since the 2020 season, scoring over 20 points in six of his 11 games against Nick Nurse. Getting him out of the Atlantic would be a blessing for Toronto.
Both Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers are not going to go anywhere anytime soon as constructed, and the Knicks have shown to be farther ahead than anyone else expected. The Nets may not have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the returns they got in both of the trade packages should help them hang around in the conference.
Brown has one more year left on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent in the same class as Pascal Siakam. However, he could decide to get ahead of that by demanding a trade if the negative feelings he mentioned start to overtake him. Boston could get a haul like Brooklyn, but they’d lose a standout No. 2 scorer.
Apparently, a summer of KD trade rumors might ruffle some feathers!
When asked whether he wants to stay in Boston long term, Jaylen Brown was noncommittal: pic.twitter.com/e4ognROlZF
— The Ringer (@ringer) March 21, 2023
The Raptors should file this in the “improbable, but not impossible” category right now, but they should operate as if a Brown departure can happen at the drop of a hat in the offseason.