This afternoon, I scrolled through a few different sites in search of any Celtics news I’d missed. WIth it being the day of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, it wasn’t surprising to see that there wasn’t anything interesting -- that is, beyond the media world’s burning desire to write fake Jaylen Brown trades.
Ever since Boston saw their season end earlier than expected last month, when they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers, Brown’s name has consistently been woven into rumors and mock trades.
Is it possible that Brown is suiting up for a different team when opening night rolls around?
Sure.
Is it likely?
Probably not. There’s been no reporting that the Celtics are actively looking to trade him -- or are even open to it, for that matter. All reports have been regarding other teams, like the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans having interest in JB if he were to become available.
What should it take for the Celtics to trade Jaylen Brown?
Unless Brown is traded in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo (still unlikely) or explicitly requests to be traded, it’d be surprising to see the Celtics brass elect to move him.Â
Now, with a hypothetical Giannis trade, you could walk away at least feeling like the team got better. Antetokounmpo is a top five player in the NBA and would give Boston a rim presence that they’ve lacked for a long time.
Getting better, by the way, is essential. Boston is in no position to waste seasons with Brown and Jayson Tatum both in their primes. If they were to deal the former, then it’d have to be something, like a Giannis trade, where they’d feel it increased their odds at a title.
Maybe you could justify it if the return was something along the lines of Pelicans wing Trey Murphy, a starting caliber big man, and some quality draft capital. There are real believers in Murphy around the league and he’s on a significantly cheaper deal than Brown. The Cs giving themselves extra ping pong balls to increase their chances of finding their next generational star wouldn’t hurt either.
We've gotten to the point where Jaylen Brown is becoming underrated
It’s just tough to replace the sheer winning presence that Brown has brought over the past decade, even if his contract takes up a significant amount of the Celtics’ salary cap. Boston would be hard pressed to find a better use for those funds.
The Georgia native has been with the Cs for the past 10 seasons, since being drafted third overall in 2016.
Brown has played in six Eastern Conference Finals, two NBA Finals, and won Finals MVP when Boston reached the mountaintop in 2024. That’s a lot of winning history to move on from, especially after JB was just named to the All-NBA second team.
Outside of those two specific scenarios, it would be far too overreactionary for the Celtics to trade Jaylen Brown this summer.
We've jumped the shark with these rumors at this point. Brown's future isn't uncertain enough to have become the Face of fake Trade Season. Boston isn't going to trade him just for the fun of it. Everyone who thinks that they should needs to take a step back and ask themselves why they're so bored.
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