One of the leading storylines heading into NBA free agency is the future of Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown. One intriguing trade proposal has Brown swapping spots with Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray in a deal that would send shockwaves across the league — and impact the Chicago Bulls' pursuit of Peyton Watson.
Brown's future in Boston has been in serious doubt since rumors surfaced linking the Celtics to a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Any deal would have been centered around the Celtics' 29-year-old Finals MVP.
The Milwaukee Bucks ultimately sent Giannis to Miami, leaving Brown a slighted superstar and Boston an organization in a precarious position.
Brown's eventual departure feels rather imminent; the question now is where he ends up and what the Celtics get in return.
If you're the Bulls, hopefully not Denver and hopefully not Murray.
Trade proposal sends Jaylen Brown to Nuggets, Jamal Murray to Celtics
One fascinating idea comes from admitted Boston homer Bill Simmons, whose hypothetical blockbuster looks like this:
Nuggets receive: Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser
Celtics receive: Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson
Frankly, as a general NBA fan, this would be awesome. And you can see the logic from both sides.
If Brown is adamant on leaving Boston, getting one of the league's best combo guards and an NBA champion coming off the best season of his career wouldn't be such a bad return for the Celtics.
Denver would land a motivated two-time All-NBA swingman to give Nikola Jokic a different look as a bulldozing scorer and elite defender.
From a Bulls perspective, though, the $5.2 million the Nuggets would save would be an unfortunate consequence, because it would mean Denver has additional funds to hold onto Peyton Watson.
Bulls should be going all in for free agent Peyton Watson
Watson should be Chicago's No. 1 priority this offseason as one of the NBA's emerging 3-and-D wings. The 23-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 stocks (steals plus blocks) while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range last season.
And the Bulls have the funds to make a massive offer with a projected $31 million in cap space. They'll need to spend at least $16.5 million just to hit the salary floor before next season.
The biggest obstacle for Chicago is Watson's status as a restricted free agent. Whatever contract the Bulls offer him, the Nuggets can match. And Denver is already scrambling to find the money to keep him, reportedly placing Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Johnson, and, yes, Murray, on the trade block, according to The Stein Line (subscription required).
Any additional funds the Nuggets can scrounge up is bad news for the Bulls. That makes this (admittedly fun and entertaining) proposal a painful one for Chicago.
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