The cat’s out of the bag when it comes to Jaylen Brown and his time with the Celtics. The team obviously offered him in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they’ve since been shopping him around the league. We’ve heard of almost a dozen teams with some level of rumored interest, yet no deal has gotten done.
We’ve heard of JB being frustrated with Boston; we’ve heard the Celtics are looking for a haul of draft picks, and we haven’t exactly heard Brad Stevens shut down any trade rumors. It feels like this marriage is headed for a divorce.
And yet, with each passing day, the rumors get more confusing. Teams seem to know that Boston is intent on moving Brown, so they are watering down the trade market, leaking a lack of interest, which is coming out through various sources around the media.
Teams trying to drive down asking price for Brown
The Trail Blazers made their big move for Ja Morant, and Shams Charania reported there are no talks between them and Boston. We’ve seen reports that the Rockets, Hawks, Pelicans, and Magic are out of the mix. Late Monday night, Jake Fischer reported that the Clippers and Raptors aren’t engaging.Â
Charania even went on ESPN and reported that the Celtics are looking at 40 cents on the dollar in any trade for Brown. Teams are clearly trying to leverage the Celtics into dealing the 2024 Finals MVP for a paltry return, and it’s creating a fascinating and potentially awkward situation for the Celtics.
We’ll soon see just how much Stevens is willing to play hardball and how damaged the relationship is with Brown. If the situation is salvageable, the Cs would be crazy to take a deal simply for the sake of it. They need to change the messaging and make it clear that they’re happy to keep Brown in Boston and go into next season as one of the favorites in the East behind him and Jayson Tatum.
Celtics can't relent on Brown trade demands
Teams can dare the Celtics all they want, and it seems like that’s exactly what they’re doing. Executives around the league are leaking information to their sources and trying to nuke JB's trade value in hopes of conning the Celtics into a bad deal. Stevens can’t back down here and needs to hold the line on one of his franchise superstars.
At the end of the day, one of these teams is going to need Brown a heck of a lot more than the Celtics need to get rid of him. Sure, he may be unhappy, and the Cs may not love his contract, but he’s a pro and a winner who wants to prove his worth more than ever, and he still has three years left on his deal.
The longer this drags on, the more awkward and uncomfortable it may get for everyone involved, but ultimately, that’s better than making a bad trade. Eventually, a team will likely get desperate and cave to Boston’s demands. And if not, that’s perfectly fine, and the Celtics should be happy to have the 6th-place MVP finisher back for another season.
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