Bob Cousy says Celtics could face major setback after trading Jaylen Brown
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Boston Celtics icon Bob Cousy expressed surprise and concern after the team dealt Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and a package of draft picks, calling the move difficult to understand from a Celtics perspective.
“I woke up to a complicated world today,” the 97-year-old Hall of Famer told the Boston Globe. “It’s difficult to understand this from a Celtic standpoint.”
Cousy questioned the return for Brown, a five-time All-Star who is entering the prime of his career. “I’d like to be in Brad Stevens’ mind and understand what his thinking is,” he said, adding, “He didn’t really get anything for Brown to speak of.”
While acknowledging George’s accomplished résumé, Cousy noted the 34-year-old forward is nearing the back end of his career. “Paul George was a superstar but is on the way out, so this could set the Celtics back considerably—especially if Tatum is delayed with his comeback,” Cousy said. “There’s a lot of ifs to this and it really surprised me.”
Columnist calls move almost unheard-of
Longtime Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote that shipping out a star in his prime is virtually unprecedented for modern-era Boston. The Celtics have moved established veterans such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Cedric Maxwell and Danny Ainge, but none were at the midpoint of peak production like Brown, who just completed arguably his best season.
Shaughnessy traced the closest comparison to 1956, when Red Auerbach sent six-time All-Star Ed Macauley to St. Louis in the deal that landed Bill Russell. Unlike that swap, there is no generational centerpiece arriving in Boston this time.
The Celtics are banking on George’s short-term impact and future draft assets to keep them competitive, a gamble that has already rattled franchise legends and current observers alike.
Source: Hoops Wire
