The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly surged near the top of LeBron James’ potential landing spots after they shockingly acquired Jaylen Brown early this month from the Boston Celtics. Brown’s name on the roster eventually proved to be a key factor in the four-time MVP’s decision to join the 76ers on Friday.
On Monday, an NBA insider shared that the Golden State Warriors might have lost the James sweepstakes by passing on Brown.
Insider Shares Why Warriors Passing on Jaylen Brown Potentially Impacted LeBron James Pursuit
Before the 76ers had a chance to get Brown, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the Warriors had a shot at trading for the 2024 NBA Finals MVP five months ago.
“The Warriors could’ve got in the Jaylen Brown sweepstakes if they wanted to give up four first-round picks-ish, in that range. They decided not to, from my understanding,” Charania said on Monday’s “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
“Those two teams, the Warriors and Celtics, did talk about a Jaylen Brown trade around the trade deadline, and it was around several first-round draft picks, potential swaps, and seconds. The Warriors decided not to go down that route, and so that’s on them. That’s the decision they made.”
The Warriors’ decision to stand pat on Brown might have been disastrous given their grand plans to lure James.
“But if [the Warriors] had went out and got that [Celtics trade] done, does that make LeBron James more viable? If the Warriors had gone out and been willing to give up several draft capital to go get an Anthony Davis from Washington, does LeBron James follow suit?” Charania wondered.
“My understanding was if the Warriors were able to get Anthony Davis, they had as good of a chance, if not better than anyone, to go get LeBron James.”
To get Brown, the Dubs needed to part ways with Jimmy Butler to match salaries. However, Golden State told Butler it would not trade him even after the veteran forward tore his right ACL on Jan. 19, according to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell.
The Warriors were also heavily linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline, but no one knows whether they would have changed their minds about Butler to get the two-time MVP.
A few months later, most NBA insiders predicted early in free agency that Davis would be the catalyst that would bring the four-time NBA Finals MVP to San Francisco. The Washington Wizards blew up that scenario when they reportedly rebuffed trade offers for Davis.
To complicate their pursuit of James even more, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported early this month that the Warriors wanted a commitment from James before making a free-agency splash.
In the end, the Warriors missed out on Brown, couldn’t or wouldn’t trade for Davis, and eventually lost James to the 76ers. They will also enter the season desperately hoping that Butler returns soon enough to give them a chance to compete for a playoff spot.
