Sunday, September 23, 2018

Did Jaylen Brown tweet about a potential Jimmy Butler trade?


Celtics forward Jaylen Brown posted an interesting tweet Saturday that could mean a number of different things.

Brown, who is a frequent tweeter on the popular social media platform, posted the following philosophical message:


Well, the timing of his post means everything so with that being said it's time we dive deep into a few theories:

1. The Jimmy Butler Theory 

When video of Jimmy Butler and Brown surfaced online back in the summer of 2016 -- before Brown's rookie season with the Celtics -- it was the first time most people learned about their friendship. There were videos of the two working out in the gym, on the beach and just driving around listening to music -- apparently they really enjoy country music.


The fact that Brown posted his tweet only a few days removed from Butler's trade request makes me think that this could be a word of advice from the youngster to the veteran, who doesn't know which team he will be playing for at the start of the regular season.

Or...

2. The Jimmy Butler to Boston Theory 

Maybe Brown is telling Butler and himself to be patient. The hopes of teaming up with Butler could come to fruition for Brown, if (this is a huge if) the Celtics and Timberwovles are willing to take a humongous gamble on its future.

The Celtics would have to be willing to part ways with one of its max guys and in this case, Gordon Hayward makes the most sense for both parties. If Hayward returns to the same player he was before his gruesome injury, he's easily the most talented player the Timberwolves can retain for Butler right now.

Boston also has Sacramento's 2019 first-round pick in its pocket that they can throw in to sweeten the deal. In order to make salaries match there would have to be a couple of other players involved. The best offer the Celtics can make to truly entice Minnesota -- without including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, of course -- would look like this:

Celtics get: Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson
Timberwolves get: Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris, 2019 first-round pick

The Godfather offer for Minnesota would be to sub out Morris and insert Terry Rozier -- aka Kyrie Irving's insurance policy. However, shredding Hayward's cap space off the books along with taking on Gibson's expiring deal at $14 million gives Ainge the opportunity to lock Irving into an extension right away.

But would the Timberwolves want to trade for a max guy coming off a season-ending injury? Does Ainge like Butler enough to want to send Hayward to Minnesota?

3. The Jabari Bird Theory 

Hours after Jabari Bird's domestic assault arrest, Brown was the first person to react on Twitter. His obvious SMH emoji -- that has since been deleted -- was in response to the alleged report of Bird's heinous crimes.

They are both University of California, Berkeley products and grew closer when they became teammates. While wanting things to work out for Bird, meaning no jail time and he remains a member of the Celtics, this may be Brown's way of sending a motivational message to his teammate.
4. Preseason Motivation 

"A patient man eats ripe fruit" probably boils down to one of Brown's favorite inspirational sayings or quotes that he's using in accepting his role with the Celtics this season. "The Poet" knows everyone will have to make sacrifices for the overall goal -- an NBA title, or in this case the ripe fruit.

Heading into the 2017-18 season, Brown didn't anticipate the Hayward or Irving injuries -- both of which meant more touches for Brown on offense. Seeing how Brad Stevens divvies his players' minutes and shot attempts will be one of the bigger story lines heading into the highly-anticipated season.



Josue Pavón



Photo used is courtesy of Getty Images

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