Scattered thoughts headed into Celtics training camp

I need to squeeze in this Jaylen Brown trade thought before I turn the page. I'm not looking to re-litigate the trade or anything like that. I just still find it disconcerting that I spent several years and lots of blog space defending the "fit" between Tatum and Brown only to find out that ultimately Brad Stevens agreed with the folks that said they needed to be broken up. I still don't think those of us defending the pair were wrong, after all they did deliver a banner. Perhaps it is more than a binary argument. Perhaps it worked for a while, but wasn't expected to continue working within the structure of the greater NBA going forward. I still don't know how I feel about all that but we'll see how things go.

This isn't a unique thought, but it will certainly be interesting to see what the team eventually does with all the "optionality" that they obtained this summer. That might mean flipping Paul George and draft capital for another star (which would be somewhat head scratching) or it might mean breaking his contract up into smaller pieces and helpful role players. Or if George fits in well enough, he could be convinced to decline his option and sign a longer term deal for lower annual dollars.

Everyone is (correctly) describing the Celtics as a regular season wins machine. Which of course is actually just a backhanded compliment that points out that the postseason flame-outs have been concerning. That 2024 title puts them in a different category than teams like the Cavs, but this team is too talented to keep getting bounced early in the playoffs.