There’s a good chance Jaylen Brown could be traded by the Boston Celtics this summer — even if it’s not for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And veteran coach Seth Greenberg feels Brown put himself in that predicament following his remarks after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. Notably, Brown called the 2025-26 campaign the “favorite year” of his basketball career — just two years after he won Finals MVP and helped the Celtics raise Banner No. 18. Many viewed the comments as a jab at Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined for the first 62 games with an Achilles injury, allowing Brown to operate as the go-to scoring option for Joe Mazzulla’s team.
“[Jaylen Brown] put himself on the trading block by how he reacted after the Celtics lost in the playoffs,” Greenberg told ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday.
“He basically said — in a lot of ways — that he and Tatum were competing against each other,” Greenberg added, while calling Tatum-Antetokounmpo a better basketball fit.
Will Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown?
Brown’s name has been thrown in trade rumors previously — for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 and then again for Kevin Durant in 2022. However, he hasn’t been burdened by those rumors since he and Tatum led the Celtics to two NBA Finals in three years between 2022 and 2024. The idea of the C’s trading the 10-year veteran was even more unfathomable a few months ago when Brown was in the NBA MVP race.
As such, there could be some credence to Greenberg’s take, given that Brown’s “favorite year” comments irked a lot of former Celtics players as well.
Here’s a quick recap of what Brown said after the season:
“I’m so proud of this group and the way we played,” Brown said after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead for the first time ever. “I wish we trusted that style of play a little bit more, but I know the playoffs kind of shifted our rotations and what we wanted to do.
“But I am so proud, and it was my favorite year of my basketball career.”
Giannis Trade: Celtics vs Heat
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Celtics and Heat are “finalists” in the Giannis trade sweepstakes, and the Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade the “Greek Freak” ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Draft.
“If Giannis is traded in the next 24 which I think is a good chance of happening, I think it’s going to be Boston or Miami
“…Jaylen Brown is on the table,” Windhorst told “Get Up” on Monday.
Insider Marc Stein also noted in his Sunday newsletter that the Celtics and Heat were “most aggressive” in pursuit of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
“League sources say that the Heat remain in full-speed pursuit of Antetokounmpo but also indicate that the Boston Celtics have not yet abandoned hope of completing a trade for The Greek Freak,” Stein wrote in his newsletter. “They are the two teams, sources say, that have engaged in the most advanced trade talks to date with the Bucks.”
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Gets Blunt Message As Giannis Trade Materializes