It is true that the Boston Celtics are weighing what opportunities there may be on the market to make a trade for star guard Jaylen Brown, but it is also true that the team would only pull the trigger on a deal if it were absolutely the right fit. And one thing that would make a deal the right fit is to add a center to the roster who can be a long-term solution for what’s been a stubborn problem.
That is what makes the Portland Trail Blazers‘ interest in Brown as a trade target especially intriguing. The Blazers have a slew of very valuable draft assets–they control the rebuilding Bucks‘ picks from 2028 through 2030 (two swaps and the 2029 pick), have all their own future picks and have extra picks in 2027 and 2028. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Celtics sought four first-rounders from teams, and the Blazers could match that, easily.
But what the Celtics really want is that elusive center, and the Blazers have a second-year man who could prove critical to a deal getting done: Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-2 UConn product who was the No. 7 pick in 2024.
Celtics Could Target Donovan Clingan
Now, the Blazers have given no indication that they would move Clingan, who 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, would not ask for a package including Clingan and four picks, but it is possible Clingan would be the lynchpin of whether a deal moves forward or not–perhaps two picks, if the Celtics take on the rest of Jerami 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 Trade Not a Certainty
Of course, the Celtics do not have to trade Brown at all. He has maintained contact with the franchise throughout the trade talks, which started with him being the main lure in a Giannis Antetokounmpo offer, and have continued with Boston nosing around for other possibilities. If Brown were to come back to Boston, it would not likely be an issue.
As Brad Stevens said of the situation, “We had a couple meetings earlier, end of May, also before he went back oversees a couple days ago. Spent a lot of time, just the two of us, sitting down together and then have been—like every offseason–have been in regular touch with his agent all the way through the last couple of days.
“Obviously, with the rumor mill and all that stuff, name being splashed all over the place. You know, that’s not easy. But certainly, we wanted to be as proactive and upfront with that as possible. And I thought we had really good conversations. ”
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Trade Could Have 22-Year-Old ‘Focal Point’