Jaylen Brown’s hometown team a threat to sign him away from the Celtics

Jaylen Brown’s hometown team, the Hawks, is a threat to sign the former No. 3 overall pick away from the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2024 — the first chance 29 teams will have a chance to bring Brown aboard since he entered the league. This, at least, according to an unnamed league executive who spoke to Heavy.

“It is not easy to get free agents to Atlanta but Jaylen Brown would be different—they want to be in position, at least, to make a move if he wants to be there,” Heavy’s Adam Taylor relayed from the anonymous Eastern Conference executive. “I think there is no question they are watching the situation with him. Closely.”

Brown’s recent comments to the New York Times about his problems with certain Celtics fans he deemed as “toxic” and his qualifier that he’d re-sign with the Cs “if they need him” to The Ringer has many outlets openly wondering if he’ll move on from the city of Boston, where he’s admitted he’s had problems buying a home and doing other day-to-day tasks at the first chance he gets.

The Hawks could trade John Collins to open up cap space to pry Jaylen Brown away from Boston Celtics

Atlanta’s plan to bring Brown to A-Town is already underway. According to the anonymous executive, the Hawks are dangling John Collins in trade talks because they want to eventually sign Brown with the newly created cap space.

“One reason the Hawks are trying to unload (John) Collins is to get that cap space and be in position to add someone, another star, with Trae,” the executive said.

Collins has long had issues with Trae Young, though that was denied by the point guard. A divorce between the Wake Forest product and Atlanta has been a long time coming, so expect Collins to be a goner by the upcoming offseason at earliest and the summer of 2024 at the latest.