Jaylen Brown is undoubtedly a big part of the future of the Boston Celtics, but he's a little confused about the direction of the team following this summer's blockbuster trade that brought in point guard Kyrie Irving in exchange for Isaiah Thomas and other pieces.
The 20-year-old Brown, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2016 draft, says the trade that sent Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, Brooklyn's 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Irving confused him because it completely changed the culture he had become accustomed to in Boston. He elaborated to Adam Caparell of Complex:
It changes the whole dynamic, the whole culture. We'll see if it's for good or bad, time will tell. But it's still a little weird to me, to be honest, because when I came in everything they stressed was culture, environment, Celtic basketball. Now, it's like what is the environment, the culture, what is Celtic basketball? I think it's a great opportunity for me, great opportunity for the Celtics, great opportunity for Kyrie. Obviously, I loved Isaiah. He was like a big brother to me. I watched him, admired him, the chip he carried on his shoulder, I love him. I still do. I've kept in contact with him. Congratulated him when he got traded to the Cavs. It's tough because it's the business we live in. Do I agree with it? Not necessarily. I think Isaiah definitely tried to plant his flag in Boston. He will definitely be missed -- he and Jae [Crowder] both. And Avery [Bradley], too. Those three guys are truly going to be missed. I love them and I thanked all of them for helping me out and said I'd see them down the line.
Those are pretty strong words from Brown, and it just further stresses the impact that Thomas, Crowder and Bradley (who was traded to Detroit to make room for Gordon Hayward) had on their former teammates.
The Celtics only return four players from last season -- Brown, Al Horford, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier -- so there will likely be a learning curve as the season goes along. A 6-foot-7 versatile wing, Brown stepped into the starting shooting guard role in Boston's first preseason game on Monday and will likely split minutes as both a guard and a forward.
Celtics president Danny Ainge said he made the trade because Irving fits better into the team's timeline, but it was clearly a jarring change for the players on the team.
