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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Shaq thinks Celtics should trade All-Star wing

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 6/6/23

After a disappointing playoff exit, the Boston Celtics find themselves at a crossroads this offseason.

Brad Stevens and company have a $600 million decision looming over their heads. Do they proceed with their current core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown despite a daunting price tag or reshuffle the roster in hopes of better positioning themselves to get over the hump?

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal feels fairly confident which way the Celtics should lean.

"I would, business-wise, break them up and use one of them to get the pieces I want," O'Neal proclaimed on The Big Podcast. "I would say Tatum is the No. 1, use Brown to bring in a Brown-type player and do it like that. It will be good for Brown because it will give him the opportunity to be No. 1 somewhere because he’s a No. 1 caliber player. I can tell that it frustrates him to be the other guy."

Both Brown and Tatum became supermax-eligible after earning All-NBA nods in 2022-23, with Tatum making the first team and Brown being selected to the second team. Brown is now eligible to ink a five-year, $295 million contract extension this offseason while Tatum has positioned himself to earn a $318 million deal in the summer of 2024.

Tatum is all but a lock to remain in green and white for the foreseeable future. At 25 years old, the Duke product has solidified himself as a top-10 talent in the league, averaging 30.1 points per game this season — sixth-most in the NBA.

As for Brown, his status in Beantown is far more uncertain. Stevens did publicly state that the franchise "without a doubt" wants the two-time All-Star to remain with the Celtics. Having said that, Brown's tendency to underdeliver in crucial moments has to weigh on a club that hasn't hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in 15 years despite finishing as the No. 2 seed in the East in back-to-back seasons.

"I'm not allowed to talk about the contract details, let alone the extension... but I can say without a doubt we want Jaylen to be here."

Brad Stevens on Jaylen Brown's contract extension pic.twitter.com/skLAyXEoAZ
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 1, 2023

In Game 7 of this year's Eastern Conference Finals, Brown committed eight turnovers while shooting just 34.8% from the field. One season ago, in Boston's NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, Brown shot 29.4% or worse on multiple occasions.

The Celtics would be hard-pressed to replace a talent like Brown who is still very much in his prime. The likelihood of trading Brown for an equal or better talent on the right side of 30 years old is unlikely. Having said that, Boston should be willing to swallow a slight dip in singular talent if they feel they can find themselves a more cohesive running mate for Tatum.

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