The Celtics have spent the better part of a week fielding calls on Jaylen Brown, and the saga shows no signs of slowing down. Brown delivered an MVP-caliber season carrying Boston to 56 wins while Jayson Tatum recovered from a ruptured Achilles, then watched his name surface in trade conversations the moment a bigger name became available.
The Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit ended that conversation, or at least it should have. Milwaukee sent Antetokounmpo to Miami instead, closing the door on the deal that put Brown’s name in circulation in the first place.
Since then, the calls have kept coming for Brown, and on Monday a real contender entered the picture.
Denver Joins the Conversation
Chris Haynes reported that the Celtics and Denver Nuggets have engaged in talks involving Brown, and that the Nuggets have a ‘deep interest’.
The motivation traces back to a different superstar entirely. NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer have reported that Nikola Jokic could bypass signing a contract extension this summer, choosing to wait and see what Denver does to improve the roster around him first. For a franchise built on one of the most talented players of this generation, that is the kind of signal that forces ownership into action.
Denver has reportedly responded by putting almost everyone on the roster up for discussion, Murray included.
GettyABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 06: Jaylen Brown of Boston Celtics speaks to Nikola Jokic of Denver Nuggets during the NBA match between Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets at Etihad Arena on October 06, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
The Framework Being Discussed
Bill Simmons floated one shape of the deal on his podcast. Sam Hauser and Brown would head to Denver. Jamal Murray and Cam Johnson would come back to Boston. The Ringer’s Matt Dollinger called it the most realistic version of a trade between these two teams, though he admitted skepticism that Boston actually values Murray enough to get a deal like this across the finish line.
There is a version of this trade that makes more sense for the Celtics. Swapping Aaron Gordon in for Cam Johnson.
Gordon defends bigger wings. He rebounds at a high level. Philadelphia exploited Boston’s lack of size and physicality up front during the playoff series that ended the Celtics’ season, and Gordon is built specifically to prevent that from happening again. Cam Johnson is a capable shooter, but Boston already has shooting on its roster. What it has been missing is perhaps what Gordon provides.
Murray’s fit works in either version of the deal. He gives Tatum a scoring partner who does not need the ball in his hands to be effective, and he brings a championship pedigree that matters in the locker room as much as it does on the court.
GettyBOSTON, MA – MARCH 2: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets goes past Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at TD Garden on March 2, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Celtics
Denver represents something different than the rumors that came before it. This is a real contender trying to win immediately, not a rebuilding team hoping to flip Brown for future assets. That distinction matters if Boston is serious about getting fair value in return.
Brown carried this team through one of its most difficult stretches in years and delivered 56 wins doing it. The thanks he got was being shopped around the league the moment a bigger name entered the picture. That is the part of this saga that has been hardest to swallow for anyone who watched what he did last season.
Celtics Get Serious Jaylen Brown Trade Interest From Contender