The former NBA Finals MVP and five-time All-Star was shockingly traded to the Boston Celtics' division rival — and team that beat them in the playoffs — in a deal that featured multiple draft picks and Paul George going to the Celtics.
Payton said the deal swings the shift in power to the Eastern Conference and makes the Sixers the top threat to the New York Knicks — who are the defending NBA Champs — for Eastern Conference supremacy.
"Yes, that places them right there, especially with Tyrese Maxey," said Payton in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his new organic hemp rolling papers through the RAW brand. "We have to get him to be healthy. He's never been healthy, so you got to get him healthy. And then with that young guard that just came up, the one they just drafted last year, the rookie (V.J. Edgecombe) he is a very, very exciting basketball player. They have four players that can play, and in that East, all you need is to have four players to play. You've seen Philly, what they did this year in the playoffs, and they just ran out of steam. Now you add Jaylen Brown, who is going to be there, I think the whole season where he's going to play, it's going to make it a problem for a lot of people in the East, and that Philly team is going to be somebody to reckon with."
The trade featuring Brown wasn't shocking considering the Celtics had made him the main piece in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. What was shocking was the fact that they traded him to an Eastern Conference rival for no young pieces in return, instead acquiring a 36-year-old George on a salary that earns him over $50 million.
"I think the relationship just got out of hand," said Payton of why the Celtics abruptly traded Brown to the Sixers. "I think it was what it was, a relationship that couldn't be fixed, as you've seen it. It kept going and going in the media, and that relationship can't be fixed. You cannot keep talking about trading somebody and doing things, and then all of a sudden you come back and he comes back to your team, it's not going to be a good relationship. I think they did the right move, they had to make the move and do the moves they made."
"A lot of people are saying they didn't get enough, or whatever, but nowadays in this NBA, this is a business, they're trying to make their business become a better business, and without a lot of problems, and that's what they're doing," said Payton. "You're getting a lot of young kids now in these drafts that's coming up, so if you get four and five and six picks, you're gonna build around that, and that's what it is. You see how Oklahoma did it, they built around picks, you know what I'm saying, and they made a dynasty, they went out and got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Clippers, and stuff like that. And then they built around him, and look what happened. They won a championship last year. They were hurt this year and they didn't go to the championship, but that's just the way things go.
When asked if he believes the matter of both Brown and Jayson Tatum wanting to be the alpha and their egos getting in the way of continuing to co-exist with the Celtics, Payton acknowledged that it could have been a factor.
"It could have went that way," said Payton. "Yes, I think that's the way it is. Tatum is their guy, so they decided to go with him. It's always happened, it's just a business, man. It's not about what people think. You could be together, but when an organization says, 'This is our guy, we want him to be the guy. He's the focal point. We're going to build around him. We're going to go get some guys that can fill in around him.' It's like a Chicago Bulls team with Michael Jordan. Remember, Michael Jordan was coming up, next thing, Phil Jackson comes in, he builds around and he drafts Scottie Pippen, then he goes get Dennis Rodman, and then he goes get Ron Harper, and then he goes get Steve Kerr and John Paxson. That's the way you build teams around a guy, and then they want to win championships that way. That's what I thought, I think that happened. They made a choice, they picked Tatum, and then they shipped Brown out."
The Wider East
The whole sphere of the Eastern Conference is changing with the Miami Heat also making a major move for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Everyone is also awaiting LeBron James' move, with the Sixers, Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers all potential options. Payton predicts James will end up signing with the Warriors.
"I think Philly is going to be really good," said Payton. "I don't care what happens with Boston, how they sent Jaylen to Philly, Philly's going to be a good team, Boston's going to be a good team. I don't know how Indiana is going to come back and relate with Tyrese Halliburton coming back. I don't know how that's going to work. The New York Knicks are the champions, they're going to have to be dethroned, they're going to do what they need to do. They lost Mitchell Robinson coming off the bench to Boston, so that's making a lot of people better, but I think what would take Miami over, DeMar DeRozan just got released, so if he goes there, if DeMar DeRozan goes there, I don't know what LeBron is going to do.
"I like him going to the Golden State Warriors, but if he chose to go back to Miami, we don't know what's going to happen," Payton continued. "I think Miami is in a good space. I think Pat Riley does a great job of just taking his time and being patient, and then patience to do what he has to do. He pulled the deal off and got Giannis, re-signed Andrew Wiggins, and now all he has to do is put it together. I think they need another point guard and another little scorer, and I think if they get that one more scorer, I think they'll be okay and legit."
The Hall of Fame point guard goes into further detail why the possible Heat move for James wouldn't make sense:
"If you go to Miami now, what are you going to do, you got Giannis there," said Payton. "Where's the ball going to be? You know what I'm saying. You're going to have LeBron, that was his problem here with the Lakers. He was looking at Luka, and then you see both of those guys were playing very well without each other when they went to the bench. I don't know about the relationship with Miami. I don't know if that's fixed with Pat Riley and him. We don't know about that. Cleveland, this will be your third stint going home. I don't really think he wants to go back home just to finish something there. They got a good group there. I don't know if they're going to bring James Harden back. Donovan Mitchell is there."
Payton said when it comes to superstars coming together, it's gotta be the "right fit." He truly believes the Warriors' core with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler is the right fit for James and will make them a top two team in the Western Conference that can compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
"You guys gotta understand, it's got to be a right fit with superstars," said Payton. "It's a right fit with superstars. You don't put superstars together, and I think at Golden State, what would happen is, is that Draymond would start playing his original four, and then you let LeBron handle the basketball and go down and get downhill. Who's going to start leaving Curry? I don't think too many people, and then you start getting LeBron going to the bucket and getting easy baskets, and then Curry picking it up, it'll be something, and then you got Butler on the outside. I think that's just a team that will be reckoned with. If a lot of them guys don't get hurt, I don't know how you can stop it and stop that basketball team.
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