Fixing the Portland Trail Blazers with one ludicrous three-team trade

How this benefits the Celtics:

There’s no doubt Boston would be hard-pressed to let go of Brown. His performance throughout last season made him seem like a mainstay in the Celtics organization for a long time to come.

However, the Celtics are in a weird state of limbo. After being hyped up as the Eastern Conference favorites, they’ve come out the gate limping.

They’ve recently found success in the form of a three-game win streak – while Brown’s been out with a back injury. In this stretch, the Celts are playing some of their best basketball – they hold the league’s best offensive rating over the three games.

Perhaps the Celtics cut ties with Brown to find a future successor to Al Horford in the form of Collins. No, Collins is not the same defensive anchor or facilitator that Horford is, but there’s a chance he could become a viable option at center for the future. And for the short term, he’s probably as good as, or even better, their current back up, Aron Baynes.

Boston also gets an intriguing guard in Anfernee Simons, who, though raw, has shown an ability to get to his spots on the floor. They potentially take a chance on him, trusting they can develop him into a formidable backup when Terry Rozier becomes too expensive.

Giving up Brown is a look towards the future, as the Celtics believe their cast of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Jayson Tatum will succeed longterm with a consistent group around them.