Ron Holland of the Detroit Pistons was recently named as possible trade chip in a deal that would land the Detroit Pistons All-Star Jaylen Brown of the Celtics.
The Celtics had to undergo a soft reboot after Jayson Tatum was injured, which significantly impacted their chances of competing for a title next year. They shipped out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to save some money and most believe they’ll take a gap year before reloading around Tatum and Brown again.
There are also those who believe Brown will eventually be shipped out, as he is owed between $53-65 million through the 2028-29 season and teams are learning that it’s very difficult to fill out a deep roster with two guys on supermax deals.
Brown has proven himself to be one of the best two-way wings in the league and would certainly fit the bill of the second star the Detroit Pistons may need next to Cade Cunningham.
Bleacher Report suggested this as a possible trade to get Cade his second star and to set the Celtics up for a future built around Tatum:
I should first say that I love Jaylen Brown. He’s the type of tough defender and big-game player who would be a fan favorite in Detroit. He’s a champion and Finals MVP who is still in his prime and under contract for the foreseeable future.
All that said, I’m not sure I’d trade that much for him.
Detroit Pistons rumors: Financial flexibility and Jaylen Brown
Pistons fans got so sick of hearing about financial flexibility during the Troy Weaver era, as he never did anything with it, so it was just a couple of words.
But under the new CBA, it matters, so teams have to be ultra cautious about these types of contracts. You have room for one big max deal, but if you are going for two, it has to be the right guy or it could end in disaster, ask the 76ers.
Brown has a lot going for him as an All-Star with no real injury history who is only 28 years old, but he’s also making a TON of money over the next four seasons.
The Pistons would be giving up two starters and a key bench player in this scenario while taking back one guy, so who is going to fill those other spots? This is the conundrum teams are in, as you can either have two superstars or a deep roster, but it’s hard to have both. Will Jaylen Brown really make a bigger impact than three players?
You then have this question: Is Ron Holland the next Jaylen Brown? If you think that’s even a possibility, then it is worth being patient when you look at the money involved. If the Celtics were to jump on this deal, I’d be even more suspicious, because that means they think Holland could eventually be that guy.
And that’s before we even get to Jaden Ivey, who could be on the verge of a breakout season, and Tobias Harris, the team’s only power forward.
It would leave the Pistons with a core of Cade, Ausar Thompson, Brown and Jalen Duren, a great foursome, but not much else around them. Who is the other starter? Caris LeVert? Duncan Robinson?
These types of trades are tough when you don’t have a massive contract to send back, as it would take at least three players, which makes it nearly impossible to build a deep roster.
It would be a massive risk, but one that may be worth taking if the Pistons think the duo of Cunningham and Brown could deliver a championship.