The Celtics shouldn’t trade Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown for these reasons.

The Celtics shouldn’t trade Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown for these reasons.

A hasty trade of Tatum or Brown now would almost probably come back to haunt the club for years.

The Celtics have been so obnoxious through the first 41 games of this season—only 20 of which they have won—that a sizable segment of the fan base wants them to make a move that is almost guaranteed to be disastrous just to get rid of them.

And just what is this? a remarkable and frustrating talent for chasing, and frequently discovering, defeat in the latter stages of games in which they had a significant lead.

Really, it’s the only thing about them that is constant. And sometimes the only thing that makes them interesting is wondering how this time, when it matters most, they will fall apart.

The Celtics have lost nine straight games, dating back to a game on Christmas Day against the Bucks in which they blew a 19-point lead.

was burned by Greg Monroe and Jaylen Nowell, who aren’t exactly the ideal “NBA Jam” duo, in a 108-103 loss to the Timberwolves;
shot 4 for 42 from three-point range in the Clippers’ 91-82 defeat;
lost 99-97 to the Spurs when Jaylen Brown missed a very difficult layup at the buzzer;
fell 108-105 to the Knicks after allowing 41 points to Evan Fournier and a last-second 3-pointer from R.J. Barrett.

I’m telling you, when the Celtics were desperately tanking for Tim Duncan in 1996–1997, they didn’t come up with too many inventive ways to lose.

It should be mentioned that the Celtics have saved themselves from self-inflicted tragedy on a few occasions. One such instance was a 116-111 overtime victory against a weakened Magic squad on January 2, when late in regulation we saw the most iconic Marcus Smart sequence we will ever see: Clever but hazardous bounce pass to Brown for the game-winning layup; vicious steal from Franz Wagner; missed 4-footer; complaining to the referee while running back on defense.

Too much my-turn basketball, too many Tatum step-back 23-footers with 12 seconds still on the shot clock, and too many Brown drives to the hoop with his head down as the defender closes in. When the game gets close, their isolation-ball tendencies are the exact opposite of Celtics basketball and are also visually unsatisfactory until one of them is really hot, like when Brown scored 50 points against the Magic.

The “Trade Machine” explains your options. It makes no recommendations for you. Furthermore, there are a number of reasons not to trade either Brown or Tatum, who is mentioned more frequently due to the perception that he is a marginally worse talent.

First off, are you aware of any possible trades in which the Celtics would receive a comparable return?

You say Ben Simmons? He’s a diva, a poor shooter in the past (the Celtics could use more shooting), and since when is Boston supposed to take care of Philadelphia’s ongoing headaches?

De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento, perhaps? Good sportsman. Fun player. Quick. Brad Stevens, get it done! (Looks at the basketball reference page on Fox.) What is this, um? He averages less assists per game (5.3 to 5.1) and is a worse career shooter from three point range than Smart (24.7 percent this season). For the Celtics to seize the lead late in games, they want a dominant, playmaking point guard. That is not Fox. Is it possible to locate the next Chris Paul somewhere?

The second compelling argument in favor of retaining Tatum and Brown together is that, despite what their occasional shot choices might seem, they actually care. They want things to work even though they are aware that something isn’t quite right. Following last Saturday’s victory over the Knicks, Brown made reference to this. Tatum took the opportunity to express their desire to succeed as teammates following their victory over the Pacers on Monday.

Tatum remarked, “There aren’t many players in the league like JB.” Not always is the grass greener. Although this year hasn’t gone as planned, we’ve had some fantastic moments, so ultimately, I believe it will be beneficial for us. We still have some figuring out to do, but the most crucial thing is that we both want it so much. Together, we wish to try to solve the problem. Therefore, it is crucial for us to just be in agreement. Regardless of what others think, we’ve got each other’s backs and will do everything in our power to solve this problem.

They don’t need to be split up by the Celtics. They must obtain them the appropriate assistance. Maybe Robert Williams can grow into the third star. He has been on a tear since Timberwolves coach Ime Udoka, who had a difficult time getting used to his first head coaching position, chastised him following the team’s loss. Possibly the most important play of the game, his block with two minutes remaining in the Pacers game set up a three-pointer by Grant Williams. Though Robert Williams is undoubtedly the team’s most entertaining player to watch, he has negative habits that need to be broken defensively.