The Boston Celtics have been one of the busiest franchises since the NBA season came to a close. Brad Stevens has already traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. He also struck a draft day deal to flip the 32nd pick into a total of four second-rounders.
Boston’s activity has prompted questions about Derrick White‘s and Jaylen Brown‘s futures. As expected, both stars are likely to stay with the Celtics this summer. However, the common consensus is that they’re not untouchable and would be available for the right price.
In a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast, the long-time NBA Analyst floated the Sacramento Kings as a potentially unexpected landing spot for Brown. However, Lowe did admit that he expects the Celtics to hold onto the All-Star forward.
“I get the sense there was real smoke, there was something going on,” Lowe said. “That something may have subsided. I said last week that I would bet on (White and Brown) being on the Celtics next year but I’m not slamming the door shut on some team — the Kings come to mind — being like, we’ll offer you everything, all the swaps, all the picks, whatever you want for Jaylen Brown. At least making the Celtics think about it. I don’t think that’s going to happen, and I think they will both be on the team next year but they instantly could become the main characters of free agency.”
Trading Brown would be a tough decision for Boston to make. However, if the deal ensured the franchise received a sizeable haul of future assets, high-level players and some young talent, Stevens would undoubtedly consider the offer.
Celtics Would Want Mikal Bridges’ Style Offer
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Celtics would want a trade package similar to what the Brooklyn Nets received for Mikal Bridges if they were to part with White.
“Boston told at least one rival team that it would have insisted on a “Mikal Bridges-type” package to part with Derrick White, league sources say,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on June 28. “The Celtics have certainly received no shortage of inbound trade calls on both White and Jaylen Brown in recent days, but nothing got serious on either front.”
It’s fair to assume, then, that Boston would want an even bigger trade package to pry Brown away. After all, Brown was named the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP just one year ago.
Celtics Don’t Expect to Trade Either Star
Celtics Vice President of Basketball Operations Mike Zarren recently shut down any rumors of potentially trading White or Brown. His comments came during a June 26 news conference.
“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren told reporters. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from, but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”
Stevens will listen to offers. It’s his job to know what’s out there on the trade market. However, given the limited value mentioned in recent trade rumors, Brown or White are unlikely to suit up for another team at the start of next season.
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