Celtics' Jaylen Brown Could Need Surgery This Offseason: Report

The Boston Celtics have a tough offseason ahead of them after falling short of their goal of repeating as champions. Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, while reportedly, Jaylen Brown was also playing through injury.

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While reports of players playing through injuries are common after a team's playoff run ends, this injury news coinciding with Tatum's makes it more interesting than usual.

Latest reports are also suggesting that not only did Brown play through injury, but he may actually need surgery this offseason.

"Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown finished the season with a partially torn right meniscus, sources told ESPN. Brown had been playing in pain during the last month of the regular season and the playoffs, which concluded with Friday's Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He will be evaluated this week to determine if surgery is needed, sources said. ESPN previously reported that Brown had received pain injections in his knee. Those injections began in March, sources said," Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports in the article.

Despite the physical difficulties, Brown overall played well in the playoffs, being the primary reason the Celtics stuck around the New York Knicks series after Tatum went down with his injury.

The potential surgery news makes the approach to next season for the Celtics a fascinating case study. With Tatum already likely out for most of, if not all of, next season, Brown could be following suit depending on the surgery he gets. If Brown is out as well, the team has no chance to compete for a title next season.

That means if the team is serious about needing to shed cap by trading away some key players, this is a great opportunity to do so. While technically no team is allowed to explicitly tank, the Celtics can indirectly tank by sitting Tatum and Brown for the season and moving multiple expensive veterans.

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It would be a huge fall from grace for the franchise that won the title just two seasons ago, but that is sometimes the harsh reality of the NBA. Things can change overnight, and sometimes things change drastically. If the team doesn't adjust, it will fall behind the rest of the league.

No rash decisions should be made until injury timelines are confirmed for both Tatum and Brown, but general manager Brad Stevens may have a unique opportunity to perform a massive retooling of the roster over just two offseasons and one full season.

More Boston Celtics news:

Jaylen Brown Could Be Odd Man Out in Celtics Cap Crunch

How Lakers' Kobe Bryant's Achilles Recovery and Post-Injury Performance Can Help Celtic Fans Today

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