There’s drama in the Atlantic Division, and the New York Knicks aren’t involved. However, depending on how it all plays out, the Knicks could benefit from it. All-Star Jaylen Brown, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024, is noncommital about his future in Boston.
After sitting at the top of the East for the majority of the season, the Celtics are now behind the Bucks and are at risk of losing their No. 2 spot to the Sixers. Boston made a run to the NBA Finals last year and was expected to do the same this season, but the team has faced a series of struggles in recent weeks.
Behind Jayson Tatum, Brown is the second-most important player on the Celtics. He’s averaging a career-high 26.7 points, a career-high 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. While Tatum will likely remain in Boston for a long time (maybe even his entire career), the same can’t be said for Brown.
The Ringer’s Logan Murdock wrote a profile on Brown in which the 26-year-old didn’t exactly sound confident about staying with the Celtics long-term.
Jaylen Brown’s comments on Celtics future could be monumental for Knicks
This is the quote from Jaylen Brown that has taken NBA Twitter by storm. When asked about whether he wants to stay with the Celtics long term, Brown said:
"“I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me,” he says. “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.”"
That isn’t a reassuring answer, especially coming from one of the team’s most important players. Boston fans should be worrying about what the future will hold for Brown, but New York fans should be hopeful for two different reasons.
Depending on what Brown wants his future to look like, there’s always the possibility that he could request a trade during the offseason. If that ends up happening, it would be risky for a team to trade for him considering that he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in a year. Nevertheless, if he does want out of Boston before 2024, he’d be linked to the Knicks. If the front office were to pursue him, there’d understandably be questions about what it’d mean for New York’s rotation.
On the other hand, if he were to request a trade and not wind up with the Knicks, that move would still benefit New York. If he’d be sent out of the division, that’d be a win for the Knicks as well as the Nets, Raptors, and Sixers. It’d be a trade that would hurt the Celtics’ future even with Tatum remaining as the face of the franchise.
If Brown stays with Boston through the 2023-24 season and signs elsewhere in free agency, the scenario would be the same for the Knicks. Signing with New York would give the organization a boost as would signing with a team outside of the division.
After being in trade talks for Kevin Durant last offseason, it seems as if there’s a good chance that Jaylen Brown will be leaving Boston either this offseason (less likely) or next offseason (more likely). It turns out that dangling one of your young stars in trade discussions can actually come back to bite you…
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