For months now, rumors have been circulating suggestions that Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown could be a flight risk this coming offseason via the trade market, as some believe him to be fed up with being the second-fiddle within the pecking order alongside Jayson Tatum.
Though the 26-year-old has gone on to publicly dispel any such notions, the speculative chatter still seems to remain very much alive and, with his former head coach Ime Udoka officially joining the Houston Rockets on April 24, fans have pushed the idea that the two could end up reuniting down in Space City.
Soon after the news broke, one Twitter user quickly begged the question of whether or not we’ll see Ime Udoka court Jaylen Brown down to Houston.
“Jaylen Brown and Ime Udoka reunion coming in Houston,” wrote the Twitter user.
Jaylen Brown and Ime Udoka reunion coming in Houston?
Bobby Krivitsky of Sports Illustrated shared an article he wrote on the report and suggested that the Rockets bringing on Udoka could end up leading to a pursuit of the Celtics star.
“Wrote about the #Rockets hiring former #Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who might look to bring members of Boston’s coaching staff and Jaylen Brown to Houston,” Krivitsky tweeted.
Another Twitter user went as far as to predict that not only will the Celtics star be heading down to Houston for the 2023-24 campaign and reuniting with his former head coach, but the Rockets would have their own reunion by seeing former franchise cornerstone James Harden making his return to formulate a new dynamic duo with Jaylen Brown.
“2023-2024 Houston Rockets
PG- Jalen Green
SG- James Harden
SF- Jaylen Brown
PF- Victor
C- Sengun
Coach- Ime Udoka
They gonna be scary😳,” they tweeted.
2023-2024 Houston Rockets
PG- Jalen Green
SG- James Harden
SF- Jaylen Brown
PF- Victor
C- Sengun
Coach- Ime Udoka
They gonna be scary😳
It is well documented that Jaylen Brown and Ime Udoka established a great relationship during their time together with the Celtics, with the two-time All-Star going on to praise his former head coach earlier in the season, noting that he “was great in our locker room” and that he “was a leader in our locker room.”
Houston Has Been Linked to Celtics Star Jaylen Brown
The concept of Houston pursuing a trade for Jaylen Brown is certainly nothing new, as Rockets insider John Granato reported back in late March that the Celtics wing “wants out” of Boston, and mentioned that Rafael Stone and company are even gearing up to make a run at him this coming summer.
“Yesterday, I got some insight into the Rockets organization bringing in veterans,” Granato said. “They’re going to do that. I’m going to tell you this. You’re gonna hear a lot of noise about Jaylen Brown. He wants out of Boston. It’s the same as Harden. Daryl Morey thought Harden had star-level ability, which he did. There are guys in this rotation right now that are going to be bench players. They’re not satisfied.”
INSIDER: Rockets to Pursue JAYLEN BROWN, Go In “NEW DIRECTION”
Now with Udoka committed to the franchise, it’s no surprise that these Jaylen Brown trade rumblings have once again surfaced.
Celtics Guard Marcus Smart Takes Playful Jab at Jaylen Brown
A Jaylen Brown trade to the Houston Rockets is merely just a far-fetched hypothetical scenario at this point in time.
What’s reality is that he finds himself pursuing a title this season as a cornerstone on the Boston Celtics and, with Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, the club is now up 3-1 in their best-of-seven quarterfinals series.
The wing helped pave the way for the C’s during the outing, and his high-end level of play was praised by guard Marcus Smart in quite a comical fashion during his post-game media session.
“I was actually on the bench and then after the timeout, we were looking for Jaylen, couldn’t find him, because he didn’t have his mask on and then we see him in a corner, and he gets the ball. And then obviously, you know, he makes those plays where he’s driving with force. And that was it; off the glass couple of times and make some great plays. And, and we just knew at that moment, you know, it was a different JB, and, you know, he’s going to carry us and bring us home,” Marcus Smart said on Jaylen Brown during his post-game media session.
“We were looking for Jaylen and couldn’t find him because he didn’t have his mask on”
Marcus Smart talks mask-less JB & how they’ve grown as teammates
In 42 minutes of action, Jaylen Brown finished with a stellar stat line of 31 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc.
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Jaylen Brown Speculation Stirs After Ex-Celtics Coach Ime Udoka Lands New Job