3. SF/SG Jaylen Brown
The rumors surrounding the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown have been going on for a couple of years now. However, after the team’s embarrassing playoff loss to the Heat, it seems as if Boston could finally move on from Brown to give both sides a fresh start in 2023-24.
Brown certainly has his problems offensively, but there are no doubts that adding him to the Knicks would be a massive improvement. The main problem would be the price it would cost to acquire him. Who knows what the Celtics could be asking, but it definitely wouldn’t be cheap. Depending on the price, it may simply be better for the Knicks to stay put or pay a little more for a far better player.
Adding Brown alongside Jalen Brunson would be an improvement compared to anything the Knicks currently have. Brown may not be the best on-ball scorer, but putting him next to a playmaker like Brunson could help Brown get his buckets much easier.
It’s tough to say how much Brown would improve the Knicks’ chances of winning a championship. While he has been historically great in the regular season, his inconsistencies come playoff time continue to hurt his value. One game he will look far better than Jayson Tatum, and then the next he’ll look worse than Derrick White. There’s no telling what version of Brown any team could be getting in the playoffs and that’s what scares fans.
Maybe a new environment could help Brown improve upon his issues. However, the problems Brown has haven’t changed much since he was drafted so it’s hard to tell.