lipoli390 wrote:Here's a question. If Simmons, Beal and Booker are all unavailable - at least for anything the Wolves can offer - then who might the Wolves be pursuing in a draft-day trade and is there anyone other than the three I mentioned who would be worth giving up the #1 pick without getting another lottery pick in return?
There is one player that is a tier below Ben Simmons, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal that I would definitely consider trading the first overall pick for, however, I would wager that he's considered unavailable by the franchise that rosters him. That last sentence is why I don't toss his name around because the likelihood of a deal transpiring is minimal.
That player is Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. Right now, at the age of 24-years old, he's a borderline All-Star in the Eastern Conference with some pundits believing he was snubbed last season. He averaged 20.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.1 SPG in just under 34 MPG. He's been an efficient three-level scorer throughout his four years in the NBA (career .561 TS%) and is coming off a season in which his shooting splits were 48.1 FG, 38.2 3P, and 72.4 FT. Brown is also a decent defender that can defend 1-4 depending on the matchup.
He's one of the game's most underrated young stars, in my opinion, primarily because the media is in love with Jayson Tatum, deservedly. You rarely hear about him on ESPN or NBA TV as he's overshadowed by his teammate.
Brown signed a four-year, $107-million contract extension in October of 2019 that starts this upcoming season. What looked like a slight overpay back then now appears to be leaning towards being a team-friendly deal.
The Celtics do have a massive hole at the center position where someone like James Wiseman would be an ideal fit, but I doubt Danny Ainge would be willing to shift the makeup of his roster to make that happen. If you're the Wolves, though, you could offer the first overall pick, Jarrett Culver, and James Johnson for Brown.