The Cleveland Cavaliers were sitting at home watching the Eastern Conference Finals, but they certainly could understand some of what the Boston Celtics were feeling. A lower-seeded team knocked both the Celtics and the Cavs out of the playoffs — in fact, lower seeds won seven series in the playoffs thus far.
One of the major reasons that the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in seven games was how poorly their best players performed. Jayson Tatum was wildly inconsistent for the entire postseason, and when the Celtics needs him most Jaylen Brown was abysmal, shooting 8-for-23 in Game 7 with eight turnovers.
Jaylen Brown could be available on the trade market
That could lead the Celtics to crack open the door on shopping Jaylen Brown around the league. At some point they may need to conclude that the pairing of Tatum and Brown isn’t going to win a title together, and if that’s the case, they need to explore other options.
The Cavaliers currently have a starting lineup with two small guards and no small forwards, making finding a starting SF their top offseason problem. Should they consider trading one of those guards to the Celtics in exchange for Jaylen Brown? It’s a wild idea, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work. What would a trade look like, and should Cleveland consider offering it?