It's Not Hard To Rattle Off Good Reasons For Sixers' Staggering Jaylen Brown Trade

It's not hard to rattle off good reasons for Sixers' staggering Jaylen Brown trade  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

No typos here: The Sixers have traded for Jaylen Brown.

There’s a boatload of details to sift through, but the simple fact is staggering. Almost exactly two months after the Sixers stormed back for a seven-game first-round playoff series win over the Celtics, Brown’s on the other side of the rivalry. The Sixers are shipping Paul George, two first-round draft picks and two second-rounders up to Boston.

Beyond the allure of adding another star, is the move backed by sound logic?

It’s not hard to rattle off good reasons. Availability is a solid place to start. The Sixers’ peculiar brand of horrendous injury luck could always strike, but Brown appears to have a high chance of playing many games. He’ll turn 30 years old in October, logged 71 games last season, and averaged 67.4 over the past five years. The 36-year-old George had a variety of physical issues pop up over his two years as a Sixer and made candid comments about lingering injuries and lost explosiveness.

It’s so easy to picture how Brown could thrive for a Sixers team that vaults up to true contention status. He’s full of deep postseason experience and has an NBA Finals MVP on his résumé. Brown is comfortable taking the sort of self-created, tightly guarded jumpers that often decide playoff games. Defensively, Brown’s presence should expand Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s options. Look at the list of players he’s defended and you’ll see guards, forwards and the occasional center. 

As far as on-court fit, it’s fair to note Brown’s flaws and raise questions. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are unique co-stars and everything won’t click from the jump.

Brown was fifth in the NBA last year in isolation possessions per game and averaged a career-high 28.7 points largely because the Celtics needed him to be their offensive hub with Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the season by a ruptured Achilles tendon. He hasn’t historically been a great three-point shooter (34.7 percent last season, 35.8 percent for his career) or a brilliant passer. The Sixers will have to be smart about how they structure their offense and rotations. For instance, Brown and Joel Embiid both enjoy operating in the mid-range. Embiid ranked first in the NBA in shot attempts per game between 15 and 19 feet and Brown was right behind him.

Zooming out, the sheer boldness of Mike Gansey’s very first trade with the Sixers is worth highlighting. He was honest a mere three weeks ago about still wrapping his head around the tricky matters ahead as the organization’s president of basketball operations. With 20-year-old VJ Edgecombe, 25-year-old Maxey, 32-year-old Embiid and post-prime George on the roster, Gansey was asked about the Sixers’ timeline. 

“My world’s spinning right now,” he said at his introductory press conference. “I just want to get to (the players) and see what they’re feeling, too. Get Coach’s input, get their input, and see if we can get this thing together. But I don’t just look at it as two timelines. They’re our four guys. They’re under contract. We’ve got to do our best to get them to their best selves. Every night at 7 o’clock, we’ve got to get them to their best to help us win.”

Gansey landed on an emphatic answer.

The Sixers see special two-way potential in Edgecombe and don’t view Maxey as a finished product. Rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. is in the mix now, too.

By parting with picks and taking on Brown’s hefty salary, Gansey chucked his chips into the present. The Sixers have even “expressed interest in acquiring” LeBron James, The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported Wednesday night. 

We’ll see how that plays out. Regardless, the Sixers will bank on a bright future via internal growth and try to win the Eastern Conference next season. If Embiid’s injury troubles subside — an enormous if — the idea doesn’t sound foolish at all. 

“I’m as confident as I’ve ever been,” Embiid said at his exit interview in May. “Obviously, (the knee) was the biggest concern and I’m not thinking about it. As long as we keep doing what we’ve been doing, I won’t have to think about it anymore. I’m looking at next year, obviously being more available, and being more available might mean being a high seed as a team. The personal goals don’t matter. 

“I know that if I’m available and I play as much as possible, everything else is going to follow. … I’ve accomplished everything else. I’m in a good mental place. It sucks losing, but I just know that moving forward, I’ll be better for my team.”

Jaylen Brown’s now on that team.

It will sink in for everyone eventually.