Why The Jaylen Brown Trade is a Tone-Setter for the Mike Gansey Led 76ers
After being hired by the Philadelphia 76ers not even a month ago, new team president Mike Gansey has wasted no time making his presence felt with a defining trade for 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown
Whenever a new president or GM is hired in the professional sports realm, we all hear the same buzz words and phrases from whoever that is. Sayings like “new energy”, “shake things up”, and/or “the fans are gonna be excited”. Take your pick.
And sometimes, it’s all talk, and no walk.
I’ll admit, when the Sixers fired Daryl Morey and hired Mike Gansey from the Cleveland Cavaliers, I didn’t really know a whole lot about Gansey from the jump. After doing research and reading up on him, it became evident he was a crucial part of the Cavs rebuild that resulted in them going to the Eastern Conference Finals this year.
Still, the Sixers and their fans have been through so many changes over the last 10 to 15 years. From The Sam Hinkie “Process” era to the Bryan Colangelo burner account days, to Elton Brand being hired as the team’s GM, then essentially demoted for Morey who returned to chasing star players and ex-Rockets players, it’s been a whirlwind of activity and disappointments for a franchise that has failed to reach the same Conference Finals Gansey’s Cavs just did.
In my opinion, the hierarchy of the Sixers has been very confusing since Brand and Morey were there together especially. And I have felt that dysfunction has trickled down to the rest of the organization. When Morey signed Paul George during the 2024 offseason, it was met with immediate cynicism from Sixers fans given George’s age (34 at the time) and history of injuries. Not surprisingly, George only played a combined 78 regular season games between his two years with the Sixers, and after the team failed to get to round three again this year, it was clear Morey’s time in Philadelphia was up.
Gansey, acutely aware of all the things this franchise has been through over this time, knowing he needed to do something to alter public perception of the team’s future, shocked the world last night, trading for disgruntled Celtics superstar, and former Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown.
After the Celtics failed to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo last week, it was clear the writing was on the wall, and Brown wanted a new start somewhere else. But given how historically heated the rivalry is between the Celtics and 76ers, the fact that Brown is headed to the Sixers is a stunning turn of events.
In the trade, the Sixers sent George, two first round picks (2028 and 2031) and two second round picks (2028 and 2030) to the Celtics in exchange for the swiss-army knife swingman. Unlike George, Brown is as dependable as it gets, playing 63 games or more during the last five seasons. An iron man and a competitor, who has proven himself time and time again in clutch spots and in important games - he is exactly what the Sixers have lacked during these last few playoff runs especially.
By making a move like this, Gansey has not only redefined the team’s direction and given them another veteran leader and winner that younger players like Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe can learn from and blossom under, he’s also potentially stripped down one of his biggest competitors in the Celtics. Sure, Jayson Tatum is back and should be fully healthy when next season starts, but between George and new Celtics center Mitchell Robinson, who they signed yesterday, they’re asking a lot out of two guys with serious injury histories. And I’m not sure players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard can fill Brown’s production and keep the Celtics at the same competitive level they’ve been at for the last five seasons.
But most importantly, a trade like this should signal as a vote of confidence for the Sixers’ direction moving forward under Gansey. Yes, he gave up a couple first rounders in this deal, but between Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, and whatever they can get out of the remaining years of Joel Embiid, this team is a legitimate, irrefutable contender for the next three seasons minimum. This trade reminds me of how the New York Knicks went all in trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikel Bridges, both decisions that allowed them to break through this year and finally win their first title in 53 years.
This is the kind of fearless, gutsy leadership this team has lacked since arguably the early 00’s, when Billy King decided to finally get Allen Iverson an All-Star center by dealing for Dikembe Mutombo. And that move eventually paid dividends when the Sixers made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2001.
If I’m a Sixers fan, I couldn’t be more thrilled about a trade like this and feeling like we finally have someone at the helms who knows what he’s doing and is actually going to follow through on all that big talk.
This NBA offseason, in terms of all the trades and signings, has been a lot of fun to watch. And in my opinion, Brown to Philly is the best move of everything we’ve seen.