The lesson Gansey learned in Cleveland
Mike Gansey said Philadelphia’s approach to acquiring Jaylen Brown was rooted in his experience with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he served as general manager.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert would regularly challenge Gansey and his staff to make sure they had explored every possible avenue when pursuing a target.
“There were some trades that we’ve done that were two years in the making, simply because we kept calling. We kept checking in, and in the end we came away with that person. It didn’t always work, but we always wanted to make sure we did the work,” Gansey said.
The Sixers never stopped pursuing Brown
That same philosophy shaped Philadelphia’s pursuit of Brown. The Sixers knew they were not among Boston’s preferred trade partners when discussions first developed, but they continued to stay in contact.
Sources indicated that the Celtics’ preferred route initially involved moving Brown as part of a broader effort to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo. Philadelphia, however, remained engaged throughout the process.
When Boston missed out on Antetokounmpo, who ultimately went to the Miami Heat, the dynamics changed. Brown’s name had already surfaced publicly in trade discussions, and Boston had reached a point where it felt compelled to move him.
Philadelphia was viewed as a long shot
Even then, the Sixers considered themselves an unlikely destination. The conventional expectation was that Boston would prefer sending an All-NBA-caliber player like Brown to a Western Conference team rather than a divisional rival.
As Brown’s trade market softened, Philadelphia stayed involved and ultimately decided not to let the deal fall apart over the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick.
“The process in talking to Boston about Jaylen took a couple of weeks. We let them know we were interested and then just kind of went from there. We just kind of stayed in the mix, and the next thing you know, we were at the five-yard line. We just kept banging the drum and expressing interest,” Gansey said.
Brown became the foundation for the LeBron pursuit
The trade for Jaylen Brown ultimately became the foundation for Philadelphia’s subsequent pursuit of LeBron James.
It set the stage for one of the most significant offseasons in franchise history.
Commenta
Visualizza commenti