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Here's How Wyc Grousbeck Handled Latest Rumors of Celtics Trading Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant
Jaylen Brown's heard his name come up in trade rumors throughout his career. Even the pick the Celtics used to draft him came with clamors to put it toward a deal for then Bulls' star Jimmy Butler. It resulted in the selection getting heavily booed, a displeasure meant for Boston's front office.
But whether it was Danny Ainge or Brad Stevens, the Celtics repeatedly sticking with Brown over potential deals for stars such as Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant hasn't produced banner 18 yet, but at 42-17, Boston has the NBA's best record and arguably the top duo in the Association, which is how Paul Pierce feels about the subject.
The Celtics came within two wins of capturing the Larry O'Brien Trophy last season, have the best odds of doing so on SI Sportsbook for the current campaign, and with Brown, 26, the "elder" half of their dynamic wing tandem of he and Jayson Tatum, their championship window is wide open.
Tatum and Brown have led Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of their five years together. Quite the feat for a duo coming into its prime.
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But a part of the organization keeping that championship window open is staying in communication with Brown as his name continues coming up in trade rumors.
Over the summer, in an appearance on Merloni, Fauria and Mego on WEEI's Jimmy Fund Radiothon, Stevens stated the team made it a point to do so with Brown as the drama surrounding Durant unfolded.
"Of course," the Celtics' president of basketball operations said about staying in contact throughout the summer with their leading scorer in the NBA Finals. "Jaylen’s been through this from the standpoint of listening and the noise has been around him for a long time, big names over the years.
"I think one of the things you have to be able to do is ignore the noise and know what’s important. Also, be able to reach out and have candid and transparent communications with the people involved. We’ve had those and been very open from the get-go as all of this has been going on for any of our guys. I sat down with Jaylen last week in LA. He looked great, and he will be back to Boston soon."
At media day, Brown expressed, "I've talked to my teammates, ownership, etc. I keep those conversations between us. I'm here and ready to play basketball. (I'm) probably (in) the best shape of my life. I'm excited to start the journey."
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In a recent appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck conveyed the following about handling the reignited rumors of Brown getting dealt for Durant by the trade deadline before the latter joined Devin Booker and Chris Paul in Phoenix with the Suns sending Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round draft picks and a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Nets.
"We don’t talk about private stuff on the air about contracts or anything like that," Grousbeck stated. "What happens in the league is agents or other teams —I mean, Brad is on the phone with every team, definitely every week during the season. Just saying, ‘Who do you like? Who is playing well? Who do you like on our roster?’ He files it away in his mental database. That’s just that. They talk all the time about everything, it doesn’t mean a trade is proposed. Jaylen is not going anywhere. He knew that before the trade deadline because I told him personally."
Further Reading
Wyc Grousbeck Expects Celtics to Make Another Move: 'We’re Not Saving Roster Spots for a Rainy Day'
Joe Mazzulla Opens Up About Celtics Naming Him Head Coach: 'a Dream Come True'
The Layers of the Celtics Naming Joe Mazzulla Head Coach
Grant Williams Reportedly Seeking Contract In the $20 Million Annually Range
Celtics Reportedly 'Engaged' with Several Potential Buyout Candidates
