According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Portland Trail Blazers are one of the teams that are potentially interested in trading for Jaylen Brown as part of a three-team deal, should Giannis Antetokounmpo get dealt to the Boston Celtics. The other two teams are the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets. However, if Portland does trade for Brown, there’s no world in which Deni Avdija should be included.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – duh. But nothing is ever certain in the NBA. Did anyone think the Dallas Mavericks were going to trade Luka Doncic? Now, look at him. In a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. So, just to make it painfully clear, the Blazers shouldn’t trade Avdija in a Brown trade, even if the Bucks ask for him.
Because they probably will.
Blazers should not trade Deni Avdija for Jaylen Brown - obviously
If you’re the Bucks, you have to do your due diligence, especially if you’re trading Antetokounmpo. It’s Milwaukee’s job to do everything in its power to get as much value back as possible.
That means getting as much as they can out of the Celtics in the initial trade, asking for picks and maybe even a young player alongside Brown (even if Boston says no).
Then, in the subsequent Brown trade, that means the Bucks should be trying to pry as much value as they can from whatever team decides to enter the sweepstakes for the two-way superstar.
Brown just wrapped up the best season of his career. He was Second-Team All-NBA. Sixth in MVP voting. He’s an elite, two-way wing, and he can help lift the ceiling of a bunch of teams – the Blazers included.
So, if the Bucks make the deal – Antetokounmpo for Brown – they will want to get as much value back in a flip. That means they will almost certainly at least try to ask for Avdija, especially with his great contract.
But Portland needs to say no. Absolutely not. In no world should the Blazers include Avdija in a deal for Brown. The goal should be to pair the two stars alongside each other.
Portland could give up one of Jrue Holiday or Jerami Grant, as well as another young player in the deal. Plus, the Bucks will probably want at least one of their own picks back in a deal, since the Blazers still own them from the Damian Lillard deal.
The Blazers just can’t trade Avdija. They need to pair him with Brown, not trade him for Brown.
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