There’s a lot more to this Celtics team than what meets the eye. 18-time winners? No one better in history. But history does not mean success in the present or the future. And the reality is that the Celtics’ present is a lot worse than it seems like. Their wage bill is off the charts, and Jayson Tatum is nowhere close to a return. Jaylen Brown’s persisting injuries at the tail-end made the Celts feel him going through the same fate. But turns out, he’ll be back soon.

The Greens confirmed that the 2024 NBA Finals MVP underwent a successful right knee arthroscopic debridement procedure. This is gonna get all the pain problems out the window. No more injections or anything else that will bring you nightmares. And the good thing is that he’ll be back for the upcoming season too. Maybe now they can start planning on their season with their defacto main man in the mix.

“Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and is expected to be ready for 2025-26 training camp,” said ESPN’s Shams Charania on his socials. There’s better news though, and it doesn’t come from Shams. It comes from Boston’s GM, Brad Stevens.

“The knee is in a good place, structurally,” Stevens said. “So I think he felt comfortable getting out there and going after it, and, hopefully, he’ll feel better after being off of it for a couple of weeks here.” Call Jaylen Brown the clairvoyant, because he knew this would happen. Surgery was the only option for him, and the long periods of rest were down to just a patience game.

“I got a lot of doctors I gotta get evaluated with — see the potential for surgery versus no surgery, wait to speak to the [Celtics] organization. For now, it’s just rest and recovery. I’m taking a step back from a long season. Mentally, it was a lot of stuff going on.”

Brown coming back will be a major boost regardless. But the Celtics have been on the verge of offloading their roster to not pay the crazy luxury taxes that’s pending. If they’re to avoid that, it’ll take someone big to make a difference. And for some Celtics legend, Brown might have to be that scapegoat.

Cedric Maxwell: “If you’re going to make that move and you’re going to cash in, it would have to be Brown”

JB signed a five-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics in July 2023, worth up to $304 million. That’s a lot for a team that’s tryna skirt the luxury tax laws. Jayson Tatum is already a no-no. And Kristaps Porzingis is already rumored to be on the move. That leaves us with Brown and Derrick White as the big money players. If you’re asking Maxwell, Brown’s gotta be the one to get the cut.

“Assuming you’re getting a really good return for Jaylen and a slightly lesser one for Derek. Well, if you’re going to make that move and you’re going to cash in, it would have to be Brown because you’re going to get more for Brown than you would get for Derrick White. So if you’re really gonna make that impact and that move, it would have to be Brown because of his value level to a lot of other teams and what he’s able to do. Derrick White is not gonna get you back with all this stuff you think that you might get,” said Maxwell on CLNS Media Boston Sports Network.

Maxwell’s words really scream out an “it’s not personal, it’s just business” motive from the Celtics. But that’s the price you gotta pay for being the top dog in your town. If they do choose to listen to their legend, does Jaylen Brown feel like the best possible scapegoat?