Stop me if you've heard this before: The Boston Celtics must seriously consider trading Jaylen Brown. It's been a topic of conversation throughout Brown's career, as outsiders have long questioned whether or not he and Jayson Tatum can coexist.
A championship, two NBA Finals appearances, and six Conference Finals trips later, the question persists, albeit in a different form: Is trading Brown the best path to supplementing Tatum?
It's a relatively blasphemous question when one considers how Brown and Tatum have dominated the Eastern Conference. The dynamic has changed, however, with Tatum suffering an Achilles injury during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and the new governorship group blowing the roster up.
The Celtics have parted ways with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis in 2025, and the changes may not be over.
Boston could potentially add long-term value by trading Anfernee Simons, whom it acquired for Holiday. Its roster is in a state of flux, however, and the path to contending again with Tatum in the fold is as unclear as ever before.
As such, the pressure is on Brown to prove in 2025-26 that he can take a meaningful step forward and establish himself as a solidified piece of the puzzle—or potentially risk being traded.
Celtics must explore Jaylen Brown trade market as it begins to retool
Brown, 28, has spent the past nine seasons steadily emerging as one of the best wings in the NBA. He's made the leap to arguably elite status since 2020, during which time he's averaged 24.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 three-point field goals made per game on .483/.354/.751 shooting.
In 2025-26, Brown will have the opportunity to take on a larger workload as he enters into the No. 1 role on offense with Tatum sidelined.
The 2022-23 season revealed how capable he is of excelling in that capacity. Brown averaged 26.6 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field while attempting 20.6 field goals per contest on a 57-25 Celtics team.
Brown earned All-Star and All-NBA Second Team honors that season, and helped Boston go to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The question about how Brown and Tatum fit as a superstar duo, however, has never truly disappeared. Boston had one of the deepest rotations in the NBA when it won a championship in 2024, perhaps masking any concerns that would've existed with less talent at its disposal.
With the roster effectively blown up in 2025, however, there's a realistic possibility that Brown and Tatum will be tasked with carrying a larger burden than ever before.
If Brown fails to show signs of progress in 2025-26, it's fair to believe the Celtics would consider trading him for pieces that fit better alongside Tatum. He'd command a remarkable return that could set Boston up to reload with yet another world-class rotation.
Brown will have every opportunity to silence even the faintest of thoughts about trading him, but the pressure is officially on for a massive 2025-26 campaign.