Tuesday night I was in the car listening to the “Mut at Night Show.” I heard Mut mention that a source at the world renowned Heavy.com (Heard of them? Me neither), surfaced a rumor of a potential trade to acquire Houston Rockets superstar/isolation ball hog, James Harden.
Like Mut, I had and continue to have absolutely no interest in the Celtics acquiring Harden thank you very much. That’s not the lede that was buried in the report though. That hidden nugget is the proposed name that was surfaced in this head-scratching potential trade rumor. Whom may that be you ask? Yup. You guessed it. Jaylen Brown.
Again.
Can we stop already with the Jaylen Brown trade rumors, please? Pretty please with sugar on top. Who wants to trade this guy? Not me. Not anyone I’ve ever had a conversation with. Not anyone with a partially developed brain. Not Danny Ainge I certainly hope.
After hearing this rumor, I pulled over and strategically texted WEEI.com Site Editor Rob Bradford before I had a chance to cool off. Riding the passion and hints of anger, here’s what I texted Bradfo (kinda):
"Column requests please: Scenario 1 – If Jaylen Brown isn’t traded 'Enough already with the Jaylen Brown trade rumors please.' Scenario 2 - If he is traded 'Why the F___ did the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown?!'"
And here we are.
By the way, the aforementioned and world renowned Heavy.com aren’t the only offenders. The list is long of trade gossip slinging basketball based rumor mills.
The guilty parties are many and it doesn’t take more than a quick Google Search to find the NBA’s version of “The View” all over the wild wild World Wide Web. All due respect to HoopsRumors.com, NBAanalysis.net, HoopsHype.com, ChatSports.com, Sportsnaut.com, Sportskeeda.com and even NBCSports.com ... I’m sure these sites are sourced for good reason, but you all need to put the ongoing and frankly nonsensical Brown trade rumors away. I’ve been hearing Jaylen trade rumors since before he was drafted at No. 3 by the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft.
News flash, your algorhythm has a glitch. It makes less than no sense for the Celtics to trade Brown. Just stop it already. Stop. Stop it. Text stop to quit. Unsubscribe.
Catch my drift?
Long story short, Brown is exactly the kind of player and asset that should NOT be traded. He’s young. He’s durable. He’s playoff proven. He’s clutch. He’s improving every year. He’s a budding star and should have been awarded NBA All-Star status already. He still has upside. He hasn’t nearly reached his ceiling offensively or defensively. He’s got clear leadership qualities. He’s made a massive impact on his community. He’s likeable. He’s accountable. He’s got plenty of years left and oh yeah, he is under team control and HIS CONTRACT IS REASONABLE!
What are we doing here?
Brown is exactly the kind of player you both keep and sign for as long as you can afford to do so, or trade for. This is not a player you trade away. Certainly not while he has emerged as a key foundational player for you and hasn’t even come close to hitting his prime years yet.
And another thing, the Celtics are right on the doorstep of an NBA Championship. They’ve been a semifinalist three of the last four years. Now, this team does need to make some additions to complete a championship level roster. That’s obvious. Making a trade for a veteran big and a veteran sharpshooter would be nice pieces to add to their mix. These are trade scenarios that make sense for the Celtics. Adding to the core not breaking down. Build it up. Build it up with Brown and hope to get more guys like him.
That’s what you do.
I’m beyond vexed. I leave you flabbergasted that these rumors even exist. To all the sites and sources propagating this nonsense, lose my information. Here, I’m texting STOP to quit. And when your survey asks me why I’m unsubscribing? It’s because your Web sites are stupid.