Getty Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown have dealt with rumors surrounding his future for multiple years at this point.
Every summer, new rumors surface, linking the Celtics with a potential move for a superstar player while citing Brown as the logical makeweight in the deal. Yet, despite all of the noise, Brown remains with the Celtics, although that could change in 2024 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
However, according to an Eastern Conference coach, who spoke with Heavy on Sports Sean Deveney, under the condition of anonymity, Brown would be better served staying with the Celtics, where he can continue to contend for championships.
Much has been made about the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum pairing for the @celtics over the years. But while the pair clearly CAN play together, NBA execs wonder: “Do they want to play together?”
More on an important offseason at @HeavyOnSports:
“There has been some talk about Jaylen and Houston, he could go to Houston and take that team over, be the face of the franchise. The Rockets would love that. But now, I would advise him—and most vets would advise him—stay where you are and play for rings, it is a lot better than being a top dog on a .500 team. But it is hard to tell a young guy to not test himself if that is what he wants to do,” The coach said.
Brown has been one of Boston’s best performers this season, crushing it from the mid-range and slowly improving his passing game – it’s those improvements that helped him make the second All-Star appearance of his career.
Jaylen Brown Could Want to Lead His Own Team
According to NBA Insider Howard Beck, who was speaking on an April 14 episode of the Green With Envy podcast, there are rumblings around the NBA that Brown could be enticed by the notion of leading a team.
“What I’d heard from people around the league over the last couple of years was this constant theme of not the whole Jaylen versus Jayson thing,” Beck said. “It’s not about whether or not they get along. Or about whether they like each other like playing together or everything else…It’s more about Jaylen Brown, having made some of the leaps he’s made in the last few years. Something else comes behind that often in this league. And it’s even what we saw with Kyrie and leaving LeBron; sometimes, you just want your own space to really stretch yourself and be the leader of a team. Sometimes you don’t want to be second banana; sometimes, you want the chance to be not just the scoring leader, the usage leader, but the locker room leader. You want your own team.”
Last season, both Brown and Jayson Tatum helped lead the Celtics to the NBA finals, where they ultimately fell to the Golden State Warriors. Nevertheless, the Celtics’ current core has a proven track record of deep postseason runs, and that could be a compelling reason why he may choose to remain in Boston.
Brown Could ‘Jump Ship’: Executive
In March 2023, Deveney spoke with an Eastern Conference Executive under the condition of anonymity, with Brown’s future in Boston being among the discussion points. When asked about the All-Star wing’s chances of leaving the Celtics, the executive noted that the Atlanta Hawks might be a draw for him, as he would be moving to play for his hometown team.
“I remember my first Atlanta Hawks game, I was 7 years old… I was sitting in the nose bleeds… there’s probably a kid sitting up there today watching me feeling the same way I was feeling back then.”
Jaylen Brown talks full circle moment winning Game 6 in hometown
“One reason the Hawks are trying to unload (John) Collins is to get that cap space and be in position to add someone, another star, with Trae,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “It is not easy to get free agents to Atlanta but Jaylen Brown would be different—they want to be in position, at least, to make a move if he wants to be there. I think there is not question they are watching the situation with him. Closely.”
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Celtics Jaylen Brown Warned Over Impending Free Agency Decision