LAS VEGAS -- It was a typical Summer League scene on the UNLV campus. As reporters flooded into the gym, we were greeted by a swarm of people. Some familiar faces. Some new ones. Coaches who have been with the Boston Celtics for years, and others who seemed to be Vegas implants.
Neemias Queta was there, fresh off signing his new four-year, $56 million extension with the Celtics. He's not on the Summer League roster, but he was there working nonetheless. The Portuguese big man was all smiles.
He wasn't the only Celtic in the room who wasn't participating in Summer League, though the other was a coach. Boston's head coach. Tucked right by the gym's entrance was Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla hasn't spoken to the media since the end of the playoffs. Since he and the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers. Since the NBA Draft. And perhaps most importantly, since the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to those same Sixers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
"I think the reaction is just still processing it. I think, obviously, when something like that happens, it's not a black-and-white type of thing," Mazzulla said of the Brown trade. "There's a ton of stuff that goes into it on and off the court. The part that I hope gets talked about more, and the part that we want to focus on the most, is really just the respect, the appreciation, and the gratitude for what he did for the Celtics for 10 years.
"He [was a] Celtic longer than I have been. He was there before me. He set the tone and started that, and was a part of special things, and continued that. And obviously, was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to be as successful as we have been. So that, to me, is what we have to focus on more: the respect as a competitor and the gratitude for what he's done.”
It's been just over a week since the Celtics lit the entire NBA landscape ablaze. A few days later, the trade became official, and Brad Stevens sat at the podium, explaining himself for 40 minutes.
To Stevens, the decision hinged on a few things. One, the desire not to have two players make up 70% of the cap. Two, the desire not to have two players taking up so much of the team's usage. And three, future flexibility.
The subtext of his press conference? Boston didn't want to pay Brown a max extension, and this was the best offer available to the Celtics at the time. Despite being asked, why the move had to happen right now seemingly still remains a mystery.
That said, the decision came from the front office. Not from ownership, despite incessant claims from upset fans. And certainly not from Mazzulla.
“Not input, just, Brad comes to you and talks to you and gives you a breakdown and an understanding," Mazzulla said when asked how much input he had. "And in moments like this, obviously, there's great alignment within the organization, and there's conversations that are always going to be had. But I think in moments like this, this is where you just listen, you trust, and you have an understanding for what they do. I think Brad [is one of] the absolute best at what he does, and there's just a level of trust that you have.”
The trade is done. There is no going back. Brown will report to Philadelphia come October, and George will be in Boston. Now, it's all about navigating life after Brown.
© Rick Osentoski
Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla
Jayson Tatum will be the same face of the franchise he's always been. Payton Pritchard will be looking to build on a breakout season, and Derrick White will hope to bounce back from a brutal one (on the offensive end). The Celtics will have to create their identity all over again.
“I think that's one of the big questions is like, every time something like this happens, it's like, how are you going to replace? You're not going to," Mazzulla said, regarding how the team will change without Brown. "Obviously, not only what he's done in his career, but what he did this year, you don't replace that. And I think that's where it's not a black-and-white thing, right? There's two sides. There's obviously a relationship there, and there's things there, but there's two sides to it.
"We also brought in people, right? And so, we have to have an understanding that we're not asking anybody who comes back, whether it's free agency, whether it's trade, whatever, to be anything that he was, because we're not going to do that. But they got to be the best version of themselves, and they have to bring things to our team to try and help us become a better team.”
Boston did, in fact, bring in new people. Players who will absolutely make an impact on and off the court in Boston. Comparing them to Brown would be unfair, though in George's case, that type of talk is ultimately inevitable.
Mazzulla doesn't want George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley to join the Celtics and adapt to what's going on in Boston. He wants to take their biggest strengths and weave them within the fibers of what it means to play Celtics basketball.
“Well, I mean, one, they're bringing something in from [their] end," Mazzulla said. "I mean, obviously, with Mitch's ability to protect the rim, his ability to rebound on both ends of the floor, his ability to change the game. We all know part of our game plan was to try and get him off the floor as much as we could because of how effective that he was. He'll bring in something different.
"And the same thing with Paul George. He brings in experience. He's been in the league for such a long time, and Mike brings in an experience being around great coaches, being around a great organization, other great players, and his leadership. So, it's not about them having to come to our identity. It's about us coming together, and how can we create a collective identity to try to go after something.”
The imprint Brown left on the City of Boston will stand the test of time. It would be a gargantuan task to even replace a single percentage point of what he meant to the fanbase, the team, and the locker room.
“Well, first of all, Jaylen is a Celtics legend, and everybody, [starting with me], is really, really grateful because of the things he has done," Hugo Gonzalez said. "Especially for me, he has been an amazing veteran player. He's been a leader for me. He's been a role model. Everybody here is grateful for him. And after that, it's just trying to look forward, trying to see what's coming, and from here, try to keep building.”
Last year was more than a chance for Brown to prove his worth as a No. 1 option on a playoff team. It was a reflection of the leadership role he took over in Boston. The leadership that helped direct the Celtics for a decade.
"There's a feeling that goes into it. There's an emotion that goes into it. There's a processing pattern that goes into it," Mazzulla said. "And the quicker you can get to just a level of gratitude. He made me a better coach. I know that for a fact. The way he pushed me, the way he pushed himself, the way he pushed the locker room, he made me a better coach, and that’s what you focus on.”
There will inevitably be more to come on the Brown front. More stories. More insight. The Celtics play the 76ers four times during the regular season. And though Brown shared his thoughts on a Twitch stream, he hasn't yet spoken to reporters. That will certainly cause another firestorm.
For now, there's nothing to do but wait. Wait for the regular season to see how Boston looks. To see how Philadelphia looks. Wait, and while you wait, appreciate what Brown did for the Celtics organization.
© David Butler II
Jayson Tatum and Amile Jefferson
In the meantime, Summer League. The entire NBA world has descended upon Las Vegas, not to discuss the Brown trade (though in my very first interaction at the Thomas & Mack Center, that was, indeed, the topic of conversation), but to watch the next generation of NBA players.
For the Celtics, it will be