The Celtics were mentioned in a few James Harden rumors early this season.
But Boston apparently wasn’t interested in the superstar if it involved moving Jaylen Brown.
“Under no circumstances, if you’re Boston, do you make any kind of offer that includes Jaylen Brown,” Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston. “And that was really the Celtics’ mindset for the last couple of months. There was no significant interest in any deal that involved Jaylen Brown.”
Harden wound up with the Nets as part of a four-team trade involving the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
So, why didn’t the Celtics go after the superstar?
“The Celtics simply are operating on a completely different timetable than the Brooklyn Nets. Their stars are Kevin Durant at 32 and Kyrie Irving at 29. You’ve got the Celtics with Smart, Tatum, Brown, a whole bunch of younger guys that are trying to develop in their mid to early 20s. Everybody wants the Celtics to get into the (NBA) Finals this year, but their window is over the next four or five years whereas the Nets’ might be two or three years right now. They were in a much more advanced position to need to roll the dice and make a deal like this. And look, I think there’s certainly a combustibility to all this. But a happy Harden playing with a player in Durant that he’s wanted to pair back up with for a while now, I think it’s certainly a risk that has argument for taking.”
Fair enough.
