It has been a wild few days on the NBA trade rumor mill, and the Boston Celtics have been at the forefront of the chatter. The prime target is Giannis Antetokounmpo, of course, with Jaylen Brown trade bait. Adding Antetokounmpo would be the kind of do-it-all addition that would help the Celtics recalibrate their team-building. Boston feels that an Antetokounmpo addition would do more than just add a big, multi-faceted forward to the mix. The Celtics see Antetokounmpo as a cure-all for the many holes in the team’s roster.
Need more ball-handling? Giannis can do that. Need a backup center? Giannis can do that. Need a passing-lane disruptor? Giannis can do that, too.
There are questions about Antetokounmpo, namely his age (32 in December) and recent injury history. There’s also the matter of a $275 million extension the Celtics would be in line to give him if, indeed, they succeed in trading for him. These are all very relevant questions that Boston front office jefe Brad Stevens has wrestled with.
Celtics Might Have No Choice on Jaylen Brown Trade
But the problem the Celtics are facing beyond an Antetokounmpo trade is the aftermath of a potentially failed Antetokounmpo trade. The Celtics have done their best to keep the details of their involvement in this deal under wraps, perhaps to keep the fact that they’re willing to deal off Brown from creating a problem down the line.
It might just be too late for that, though. That is the sentiment from one Eastern Conference exec as this trade possibility has unfolded.
Again, the Celtics have kept their intentions with Brown close to the vest thus far, and rival teams have said Boston is not shopping Brown. But if the Antetokounmpo deal does not materialize, there is an expectation that could change.
“The Celtics might have gone down far enough on the road of trading Jaylen Brown now that there’s no going back,” the Eastern Conference exec said. “I don’t know that you can put the toothpaste back in the tube there. … They have had him in trade talks before and some point, the player gets tired of that. Jaylen has given them the benefit of the doubt in the past. This might not be easy to bounce back from.”
So, no, they’re not shopping Jaylen Brown now, but don’t rule it out.
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks has been a Celtics trade target
Jaylen Brown Trade Needed Even Without Giannis Antetokounmpo Deal
Brown is coming off his best season with the Celtics, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, all of which were career highs. He clearly enjoyed his role as the team’s leading man while star Jayson Tatum was recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Now, the question is whether Brown would be willing to go back to a secondary role alongside Tatum, especially now that he knows the Celtics are offering him to Milwaukee.
The expectation is that if the Bucks get Brown, they would seek to move him on to a third team, though another aspect of this has unfolded now, too: the Bucks and Celtics could keep this a one-to-one deal, with Milwaukee moving Brown separately later.
Celtics Will Have Options
That’s not the Celtics’ issue, though. For them, it is what becomes of Brown if he is not sent out for Antetokounmpo. Plenty of teams are known to have interest in acquiring Brown if he were to be on the market, starting with his hometown Atlanta Hawks and the Rockets, the team overseen by his former coach, Ime Udoka.
The Clippers have also been reported as a landing spot for Brown, too, as have a handful of others. The problem for most of those teams, though, would be putting together a package that the Celtics would be willing to accept for Brown–Atlanta or Houston could conceivably get there, but not many others.
Celtics Face ‘No Going Back’ Stance on Jaylen Brown Trade: NBA Exec