NBA Rumors: Should Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown For Bam Adebayo?
Rumors have recently started to swirl around All-Star center Bam Adebayo and his future with the Miami Heat after reports spread that the team isn’t likely to give him a massive contract extension after the 2019-20 NBA season. Even if the Heat does reconsider an offer to him, most people expect Adebayo to become available on the trade market this fall. As of now, several teams in dire need of a frontcourt boost have been linked to Adebayo, including the Boston Celtics.
In a recent article, Andrew Hughes of Fansided’s Hardwood Houdini suggested multiple scenarios on how the Celtics would be able to bring Adebayo to Boston in the 2020 NBA offseason. Out of all the potential trade packages, Hughes believes that the Celtics would have a realistic chance of convincing the Heat to engage in a blockbuster deal if they would be willing to send Jaylen Brown to South Beach.
“Jaylen Brown would be a better option to deal, assuming his value is more in line with Adebayo’s. Brown isn’t yet an All-Star, but he isn’t far behind and already got an extension…one that should be less than Bam’s because of the latter’s All-Star berth in 2020. Adebayo would bring parity to the lineup and such a deal would promote Smart into the starting lineup. That said, Brown has proven more in the postseason and could eventually have a higher ceiling.”
Trading Brown for Adebayo would make a lot of sense for the Celtics. Since the departure of Al Horford in the 2019 free agency, the Celtics have been actively searching for a defensive-minded big man. Though he’s yet to unlock his three-point shooting skills, Adebayo would be the perfect replacement for Horford.
Compared to Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis, and Robert Williams III, there’s no doubt that Adebayo is the much better center. He will not only give Boston a quality rim protector but also a very reliable scoring option under the basket and an incredible rebounder. This season, the 23-year-old big man is averaging 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals while shooting 56.7 percent from the field, according to ESPN.
With Adebayo on the roster, the Celtics would have a better matchup against powerhouse teams with dominant big men like Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. If he continues to improve his performance and manage to learn how to space the floor, his arrival in Boston would undeniably strengthen their chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship title next year.
