The Celtics thought it was worth the money to keep him, keep the Jays together, and pay him, even though the asking price was 300M. That’s fine. They should have traded him. A second option who doesn’t see the pecking order clearly is one of the biggest obstacles to a title. It won’t matter in the regular season but it will matter in the playoffs. When Westbrook was alongside Durant, the Thunder lived and died by the shots WB took in the clutch in the playoffs. He hit some, but fewer than he missed, and every shot he missed you thought “Durant should have taken that shot.” Now, with every shot in the clutch that Brown misses fans will think “Tatum should have taken that shot,” or “Porzingis should have taken that shot.” Is that worth 300 million? I don’t think so.
The Celtics thought it was worth the money to keep him, keep the Jays together, and pay him, even though the asking price was 300M. That’s fine. They should have traded him. A second option who doesn’t see the pecking order clearly is one of the biggest obstacles to a title. It won’t matter in the regular season but it will matter in the playoffs. When Westbrook was alongside Durant, the Thunder lived and died by the shots WB took in the clutch in the playoffs. He hit some, but fewer than he missed, and every shot he missed you thought “Durant should have taken that shot.” Now, with every shot in the clutch that Brown misses fans will think “Tatum should have taken that shot,” or “Porzingis should have taken that shot.” Is that worth 300 million? I don’t think so.