Grade the Trade: Should Cavs get crazy, deal Garland for Jaylen Brown?

What a Garland – Brown trade would look like

The Cavaliers aren’t going to trade Donovan Mitchell, not this soon after the deal to bring him in and not after the season he just had. It’s not like they’re trying to trade Darius Garland, either, but there is at least a path to why they would consider it; turning a size disadvantage into an advantage by turning Garland into a forward.

A negotiation with Garland and Brown as the principals would probably see both sides try to add to their bounty. The Celtics can point to Brown making Second Team All-NBA this season as leverage to get more from Cleveland; the Cavs can point out that Brown only has one more year on his deal and is older than Garland to ask for more from Boston.

In the end, the most likely configuration is also the simplest:

The biggest weakness for the Celtics was play initiation and playmaking; Jayson Tatum is an incredible scoring threat but very inconsistent creating for others, and Brown’s playmaking has been his Achilles Heel his entire career. Garland gives them a young All-Star guard who is already one of the league’s best passers and playmakers.

Assuming the Celtics would accept this deal, would the Cavaliers do it?