Clippers Fans' Jaylen Brown Dream Is Over After the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade

The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga is finally over. After long trade discussions between the Bucks, Celtics, and the Heat, Milwaukee agreed to send the Greek Freak (along with Bobby Portis) to Miami for a package consisting of Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jaquez, Kel'el Ware, three first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick.

Whether the Bucks should have taken Boston's offer that included Jaylen Brown will be a question on everyone's mind for a long time. The Celtics reportedly offered Brown and two first-round picks to Miami, but it wasn't enough to acquire Antetokounmpo.

That is also the part that should interest the Los Angeles Clippers the most. There was an expectation that if the Bucks had accepted the Jaylen Brown package from the Celtics, it would have made the 29-year-old All-Star available on the trade block. This meant the Clippers would have as good a chance as any of acquiring Brown.

Clippers Have to Pivot Now That the Jaylen Brown Dream Is Over

There was a lot of noise around the Brown-to-Clippers rumors. It made little sense for the Bucks to keep and build around Brown in the post-Antetokounmpo era. Rerouting him to a third team for additional draft capital and future assets would be the obvious choice.

The Clippers, armed with the No. 5 pick and future draft capital, were a natural landing spot. The reporting heading in the draft suggested that this was a real possibility.

Adding Brown was one of the few moves that could have made the Clippers a contender in the short run. The chances of another star player of his caliber being on the move this summer are very low. Without a significant win-now addition, it's difficult to imagine the Clippers getting back to contention in the stacked Western Conference.

Even though the Celtics offered Brown in the Giannis trade, they aren't actively shopping Brown, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Since the Celtics also want to be a title contender next season, they aren't going to trade the former Finals MVP unless they get an even better player.

Such a trade doesn't exist, certainly not with the Clippers. Neither team would want to do a Brown-for-Kawhi Leonard since it doesn't move the needle for either side. A three-team construction could work on paper, but how many players are there in the league that the Celtics would consider an upgrade over Brown? How many of those guys are even gettable in a trade?

The Celtics can figure things out with Brown. This isn't the first time he has been subjected to trade rumors. He was reportedly close to getting traded for Kevin Durant four summers ago. Unless the relationship between him and the Celtics is completely broken, it probably makes more sense for Brown to stay next to Jayson Tatum.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have to shift their focus elsewhere. They still have the assets to pursue difference-makers. What they do on draft day with the No. 5 pick should give us a better idea of what the franchise is planning for the rest of the offseason and beyond.

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