The Boston Celtics were deep in conversations to land Giannis Antetokounmpo at one point during the offseason. The talks with the Milwaukee Bucks seemed to stall due to the refusal to include Hugo Gonzalez, a 20-year-old who averaged less than four points a game during his rookie season.
The Celtics may not have known it at the time, but this little detail ended up having a chance to change the NBA forever. Let’s dive into the butterfly effect that landed Giannis on the Miami Heat and Jaylen Brown, alongside LeBron James, on the Philadelphia 76ers. All due to the fact that Boston refused to give up on a four-PPG scorer.
The Celtics were finalists in the conversations to land Giannis. The Bucks were going back and forth trying to land the best package between Boston and Miami.
The Bucks had one small ask: Include the 20-year-old rookie who has some potential in exchange for a 2x MVP winner. The choice seems obvious, but not to Brad Stevens and the Boston front office. They declined any offer that featured Gonzalez.
Jaylen Brown, the main piece in talks centered around Giannis, was the talking point in Boston. He was coming off an MVP-caliber season, but now they wanted to trade him? He wasn’t going to take that well.
In the meantime, the Heat were doing the opposite of what the Celtics had been doing. They were willing to give up on their younger pieces if it meant having a chance to win a championship. They ended up doing just that.
Giannis was traded to the Heat on June 22nd at 11:50 p.m. Eastern Time. Miami sacrificed everything on their roster to get him to South Beach. They traded Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks, 1 pick swap, and 1 second-rounder for the Greek Freak.
Those younger pieces are much more enticing than anything the Celtics had to offer apart from Brown. Still, Stevens apparently preferred their current roster construction over teaming Giannis up with Jayson Tatum.
Brown, however, was not happy following all the NBA trade rumors that involved his name. There was no official trade request, but tensions were obviously building behind the scenes in Boston.
That is what led to the most shocking trade of the entire offseason.
The Celtics traded Brown, coming off an All-NBA season, to their most hated rivals. The 76ers had just been swept by the New York Knicks in the NBA playoffs and were in a rough position as a franchise.
Philadelphia had no wiggle room. They were tied up with multiple max contracts, and the Celtics decided to gift them a new sense of life. New 76ers GM Mike Gansey traded Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks to Boston for Brown.
An insane move that set Boston back in a major way in the Eastern Conference. They just handed Philadelphia an elite player for free, and the ripple effect from that trade is still being felt today.
The 76ers weren’t done when they acquired Brown; they were just beginning their incredible offseason.
LeBron James is officially a Sixer, but how did we get here? There were no conversations of James heading to Philadelphia prior to the trade they made for Brown. Remember when we said they were just getting started? Here we are.
Tyrese Maxey was the leading recruiter in the LeBron sweepstakes, but there would never have been a realistic pitch without the trade made by Gansey. They got themselves on the radar of James due to their newfound ability to compete for an NBA title.
LeBron immediately forms one of the best starting lineups in the NBA today. The dynamic of fast-break offense, as well as the ability to set up in the half-court and wear the opposing defense down. This sets them up well in the regular season, as well as the playoffs.
So, LeBron is a 76er.
Jaylen Brown is a 76er.
And it all started with the Celtics’ refusal to trade Hugo Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has a long career ahead of him in the NBA, but the pressure will never be as high as it is now. The Celtics could have Giannis on their team right now. Instead, they have Paul George and Gonzalez.
The Eastern Conference, because of that decision made by Stevens and the Celtics front office, now has a completely different dynamic. The Heat and 76ers both view themselves as true championship contenders.
If not for the Gonzalez, there’s a very good chance that Boston is the team gearing up for the battle with the New York Knicks at the top of the Eastern Conference. Instead, that’s the life that Miami and Philadelphia are living. The Boston Celtics are now the team that will be battling to make the playoffs and survive the play-in tournament. One tiny decision may have changed the NBA forever.
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