Day 1 of the is in the books, and while we get ready for the second round Thursday night, there’s some trade fodder to keep us busy until then. If you’re a fan of chaos and trades during the NBA Draft, then Tuesday night was probably a snoozefest, as teams only traded picks or guys who were just drafted.
There were no massive blockbuster deals for the likes of , or anyone else who has been mentioned on the trading block the last few weeks. But that doesn’t mean we still won’t see something happen as Day 2 of the draft nears.
Let’s take a look around the league to see what the latest trade chatter is.
Among possible trades that could go down on draft night, Brown was the biggest name on the market. However, president Brad Stevens’ messaging after Night 1 suggests that perhaps the Finals MVP isn’t as available as expected.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said. “I’m never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around.”
This comes just two days after Brown was the centerpiece of a proposed trade that would’ve landed the Celtics , which ultimately failed after the decided to go with the trade package instead. While Stevens’ words suggest Brown might not be getting traded, it’s also boilerplate messaging that you’d expect from the team president just a few days after not landing the player you wanted in a trade.
“With all the rumor mill and all that stuff, and his name being splashed all over the place, that’s not easy,” Stevens said. “We certainly wanted to be as proactive and up-front with that as possible. I thought we had really good, candid conversations. … I’ll always keep our conversations private. I think it’s appropriate regardless of what the content of those conversations is like. What I said is really true: I don’t love the fact any time it’s a big, public thing. We try to keep things as close to the vest and as quiet as possible. The rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there.”
Countless rumors and reports have suggested that Brown would be enticed by a fresh start on a new team, one where he would be the undisputed franchise centerpiece. Those reports grew louder after Brown declared this most recent season the favorite of his career, a year in which he was the 1A option with sidelined for most of the year.
Perhaps this will all just be a bump in the road for Brown and the Celtics, and he’ll go on to have an even longer career in Boston. At the very least, it sounds like Stevens is trying to downplay Brown’s availability right now.
“Whether (Brown’s run in Boston) ends 10 years from now when he retires or before, there’s a lot to celebrate,” Stevens said. “We have a great relationship and an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don’t want to predict the future.”
Prior to Day 1 of the NBA Draft, Dolan reiterated to the front office that he wants the team to stay under the second apron for the upcoming season, according to . It’s a message since the Knicks beat the in the Finals, ending a 53-year championship drought. Dolan called going above the second tax apron “suicidal” during an appearance on “The Carton Show” on WFAN, while also saying that, “If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as it is, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to.”
Those are sobering words for Knicks fans who are probably still riding the high from their championship. But as we saw on Night 1 of the draft, the Knicks are certainly operating like a team that wants to stay under the second apron. First, the Knicks traded the No. 24 pick to the for the No. 25 pick and cash considerations. Then, New York drafted Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea with the 25th pick and promptly traded him to the for the 30th pick in the first round and two future second-round picks.
New York then turned around and traded the 30th pick (Koa Peat) to the for the No. 47 pick and two additional future second-round picks (2029, 2033). Had the Knicks kept their first-round pick, the salary they would’ve had to pay that rookie would’ve put them closer to that second apron.
We’ll see if the Knicks plan on trading down even further on Wednesday night, as they’re clearly trying to prioritize keeping as many players from this championship team as possible. But if they’re treating the second apron like a hard cap, then keeping key backups like and may be difficult this summer.
The Giannis trade isn’t even official yet and we’ve all collectively moved on to which star will be the next one to want out from his current team. Anthony Edwards naturally leads the conversation, as he and the Wolves have failed to break through to the NBA Finals despite two trips to the conference finals in the last three years. There’s been no reason to suggest that Edwards wants out of Minnesota any time soon, and is reporting just that, saying, “According to multiple people with knowledge of Edwards’ thinking, the star is not flinching at the challenge ahead and believes the team has a bright future ahead of it.”
Well, there we go. That’s the end of it, right? Of course not. We just went through an entire saga with Antetokounmpo, as we’ve done with countless stars throughout history who have been unhappy with the team’s direction. Edwards is happy right now, and as long as the Wolves continue to position themselves as a championship contender, then he’ll likely remain content in the Minnesota winters.
But what happens if the Wolves can’t keep up with the likes of the and Spurs, and they become the team that can never break through? That’s what the Wolves are constantly competing against. It’s not enough to just get to the conference finals. You have to win titles to keep your star happy. And if Minnesota can’t accomplish that, then the noise around Edwards wanting a trade will only grow louder as the years go on.
