Quote · The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Crazy NBA Month With Zach Lowe, Plus Taylor Sheridan on Building a TV Empire and the Problems With Hollywood
Where this was said
Jaylen Brown trade rumors
At 8:08 · chapter starts 1:15
With Brown's trade market assessed, Simmons runs through the realistic landing spots. He quickly dismisses New Orleans (Murphy, Poole, and picks may not even get a yes), Portland (Jrue Holiday and Kamar Young is interesting but doesn't move the needle publicly), and Houston (who has inexplicably told teams they're not interested). The centerpiece of the segment is the Denver proposal: Murray and Cam Johnson for Brown and Hauser, saving Denver $10M annually while giving Boston a healthy, versatile star [1] — Bill Simmons "Swap Murray for Brown, throw in Cam Johnson, save Denver $10M, and suddenly both teams look better. Boston gets a healthy young star and 3-…" 25:05 . Simmons argues Denver could reload with that savings, re-sign Peyton Watson, and build a bigger, deeper team around Jokic. Lowe pushes back, noting Denver would be left with virtually no proven rotation guards and a significant offensive adjustment, but ultimately agrees the trade has real merit for both sides. The question, they agree, is whether Denver has a long enough meeting about it — because they're at a genuine franchise crossroads.
Once the Celtics put Jaylen Brown in the Giannis sweepstakes, there was no going back. Simmons argues the mistake was not immediately opening Brown to all bidders at once, because now that teams know he must be traded, the market has already soured.
The Celtics went 56-23 in the 79 games Jaylen Brown played last season without Tatum, finishing second in offensive rating.
The Celtics went 56-23 without Tatum, with Brown as their only reliable scorer. His 29-point nights, elite durability, and willingness to take on every tough defensive assignment make him a top-15 player — and yet teams won't give up a prospect for him.
Jaylen Brown has logged nearly 26,000 regular season minutes and almost 5,000 playoff minutes over 10 years, making him one of the most durable stars in the league.
Swap Murray for Brown, throw in Cam Johnson, save Denver $10M, and suddenly both teams look better. Boston gets a healthy young star and 3-guard flexibility. Denver gets bigger, deeper, and can still run everything through Jokic.
The proposed Jamal Murray and Cam Johnson for Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser trade would save Denver approximately $10 million annually.
