When it comes to the notion of the Boston Celtics trading Jaylen Brown, there have always been just a handful of possible destinations. Yes, plenty of teams have inquired about making a deal for Brown, but few had the actual assets that would be required to make a trade for the Celtics star. One of those teams was the Portland Trail Blazers.
And on Monday, Portland put a fine point on where it stands in the Brown chase–the Blazers made a deal for Grizzlies star Ja Morant, effectively ending the team’s pursuit of Brown before it ever really heated up.
As Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday, “BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, sources tell ESPN.”
There are still ways the Blazers could put together a package for Brown, but Grant was seen as the likeliest outgoing piece to help match salaries with Brown. His departure, and the Blazers’ willingness to hold tight now with Morant on board, pretty much mark the end of a Portland-Boston blockbuster.
Celtics-Blazers Talks Did not Progress
It’s fair to wonder if a Celtics deal with the Blazers ever really had any traction. The Celtics want youth, size and draft picks in any deal for Brown, and Portland has the ideal player to send back to get the Celtics to bite–22-year-old center Donovan Clingan. But the Blazers would not entertain moving Clingan. Unless that changes, it is doubtful the talks would progress very far.
Clingan started 77 games for Portland last year and averaged 12.1 points and 11.6 rebounds, while beginning to show some promise as a 3-point shooter–34.1% on 3.2 attempts per game. The Celtics, obviously, wanted Clingan and he could well have been the lynchpin of a deal that included picks and the rest of Grant’s contract.
“There are 29 teams that would like to trade for Donovan Clingan,” one Western Conference exec said. “And I am not sure there is any other asset they have where the Celtics would want to trade Jaylen Brown there. The Celtics want to stay competitive–I don’t think you go and dump Jaylen for picks. You’ve got to get a player back and (Clingan) would have to be starting point or even a focal point for them.”
Jaylen Brown Could Be Back
And so we are back to Square One for the Celtics and Brown, and our sources have indicated all along that there is a very chance that the team and Brown would investigate potential trades, find nothing of real value out there, and simply have Brown return to Boston in 2026-27.
The notion that the relationship between Brown and the team is so fractured it can’t be repaired is simply not borne out by the facts–team honcho Brad Stevens has been in contact with Brown throughout the offseason, and Brown has not been blindsided by any of the trade chatter around him.
The Celtics could make a deal. They have an MVP candidate who they’re willing to move. But they’re operating as they should–like a team that does not have to make a deal.
Celtics Top Jaylen Brown Trade Partner Makes Blockbuster Trade