The Boston Celtics' decision to trade Jaylen Brown for Paul George and draft compensation has reignited a leaguewide argument over analytics-driven roster building, according to multiple executives and coaches who spoke to ESPN.

The debate traces back roughly six weeks, when Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson suggested advanced metrics indicated his team should have led its Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Knicks. That comment became a defining moment of last postseason as the Cavaliers were on their way to be eliminated by the Knicks in a four-game sweep.

Yahoo Sports columnist Tom Haberstroh noted that Boston has gone 36-6 over the past three seasons in games Brown has missed, a figure often cited by those defending the trade.

Not everyone agrees with the approach.

"The league is overrun with strategy," said an Eastern Conference scout. "Honestly, I'm not sure how many people who work in the league are actually watching the games."

A Western Conference general manager pushed back on that framing.

"Yes, there are more graduate degrees in front offices now, but that's only part of the picture," said the general manager. "The aprons force you to analyze all of your spending more and put more attention to detail on getting the most out of each salary slot. The owners put that into the rules, and the players accepted it. This is all a choice."

Another Western Conference executive expressed concern about where the trend leads.

"We're going to turn into baseball if we're not careful where you have every defender between second base and right field, and no one can get a hit and it becomes boring," said the executive.

Boston's ownership group, led by Bill Chisholm, financed its record $6 billion purchase of the franchise through private equity backing, a structure some believe reinforces the club's analytical approach.

The trade also marks the first major transaction for new 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who succeeded analytics pioneer Daryl Morey earlier this offseason. Gansey played high level collegiate basketball and internationally before working his way up the Cavaliers' front office after first beginning as a scout.