NBA Trade Rumors: Heading into the offseason, we explore five last-ditch trade ideas the Boston Celtics may have to explore for Jaylen Brown.
The Boston Celtics nearly pulled off the unbelievable. After falling down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics staved off elimination successfully three times to set up a Game 7 on their home floor. However, Boston wasn’t able to hold off one final onslaught from the Heat as the Celtics lost by 19 in Game 7.
The Heat punched its ticket to the NBA Finals as the Celtics were sent into the offseason a bit earlier than they imagined they would when the season began. Despite a near-heroic (and historic) effort in the latter portion of the conference finals, this season will be remembered as a failure for the Celtics.
And it will open the door for a potentially chaotic offseason for the franchise. The biggest storyline that surrounds the Celtics heading into the offseason revolves around Jaylen Brown and his future with the team. For now, it would be surprising if he wasn’t a member of the Celtics next season. But, as we know in the NBA, situations can change minute-to-minute.
Unfortunately, there’s been enough smoke around Brown that makes it impossible to completely disqualify a potential trade demand by him this offseason. For the sake of the Celtics, the hope is that it doesn’t get to that point. If it does, though, we explore five potential last-ditch trade ideas the Celtics can have centered around Brown this offseason.
Jaylen Brown to the Houston Rockets
Admittedly, a Jaylen Brown trade will be difficult to predict but considering the Houston Rockets have already been somewhat linked to him in the past, it would not be all that surprising if they inquired about him once again heading into the offseason. Depending on what the asking price would be, you can make the argument that the Rockets could have enough assets to get a deal done.
However, the deal would almost certainly have to start with Jalen Green. He’s one of the most dynamic young offensive players in the league and is still growing as a talent. He’d be a target that the Celtics would likely want to start building this potential package. Boston would also ask for the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. That could be difficult for the Rockets to include but it would have to be in the deal considering the absence of another difference-making player on Houston’s roster.
To make the deal worth it for the Celtics, the Rockets could throw in Jae’Sean Tate, one of the most underrated versatile two-way players in the league and a future first-round pick.
Jaylen Brown to the New York Knicks
If there is an all-out bidding war for Jaylen Brown this offseason, the New York Knicks have to be considered one of the favorites – assuming the Boston Celtics wouldn’t mind trading him in-conference. New York arguably has the best and most trade assets heading into the offseason, headlined by numerous trade-eligible future first-round picks and a plethora of young players that would be appealing to opposing teams on the open market.
In this hypothetical deal, the Knicks would essentially be leaning on the long-term potential of a Jalen Brunson-Jaylen Brown combination. In this godfather offer, the Knicks would send RJ Barrett (a rising two-way star), Quentin Grimes (another young two-way promising player), Josh Hart (via sign and trade), and two future first-round picks.
The Celtics would get three players that would be able to contribute to the team in a meaningful way right away and two future picks that they could use to get another difference-maker on the open market.
The Knicks would have two stars as their foundational pieces and still have room and assets to find a third start to complete the build.
Jaylen Brown to the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the betting favorites to land Jaylen Brown and if he does become available this offseason, you’d have to think that they will certainly be involved on some level. And while it may not seem as if the Hawks could make a competitive offer, I’d say that they have enough (despite the lack of trade-eligible future first-round picks) to at least make a phone call and not be immediately hung up on by the Boston Celtics.
And it starts with Trae Young, who is entering the offseason will his own questions about his future with his current team. Nevertheless, could there be a scenario where the Celtics trade their “problem” for the Hawks’ “problem?”
A potential package from the Hawks would start with Young and be supported by Onyeka Okongwu and Bogdan Bogdanovic, two potential difference-makers that could help the Celtics next season. The Hawks would then throw in this year’s first-round pick and then a 2029 first-round pick to add some icing to their offer.
Who knows if this package would be “enough” for the Celtics to seriously consider but it’s certainly an intriguing offer.
Jaylen Brown to the Toronto Raptors
If there’s a star available on the open market, you can almost bet that Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors will be lurking. And with plenty of flexibility heading into the offseason, the Raptors could emerge as somewhat of a dark horse potential landing spot for Jaylen Brown. The big question is whether Brown would want to play for the Raptors. If he would be open to it, the Raptors could present the Boston Celtics with quite an intriguing offer.
A potential offer from the Raptors for Brown would have to begin with Scottie Barnes, arguably the team’s best trade asset heading into the offseason. On top of that, the Raptors could also throw in OG Anunoby to legitimize this blockbuster package. If the Raptors wanted to make this an overwhelming inquiry, Toronto could throw in the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft or perhaps a future first-round pick.
However, with OG and Scottie, I don’t think that’s entirely necessary for the Celtics to continue listening.
On paper, the Celtics would get two great two-way players, with a potential future superstar in Barnes. Anunoby would help on the wing and be somewhat of a Brown replacement, probably the best they can realistically get on the open market considering the circumstances.
A blockbuster swap including Jaylen Brown
In what would be considered one of the biggest NBA trades in quite some time, this offseason could set the table for a potential blockbuster swap between the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers, centered around a Damian Lillard for Jaylen Brown deal. This has to be considered a pipe dream for the Celtics but there is a path to getting there for the Blazers too.
For Boston, it’s not that hard to see why this would make sense. Lillard could end up hitting the trade market this offseason and Boston could absolutely try to make the best out of a bad situation if Brown ends up wanting out. For the Blazers, getting Brown for Lillard may not be a bad scenario for them either. The big holdup of such a potential deal, of course, is finding a reason why Brown would want to play in Portland without Lillard.
Nevertheless, if he were open to it, it would be quite a win for both sides. The Celtics would get a legitimate superstar (and clutch player) to play next Tatum and the Blazers would add a star to help lead their young core into the next era of basketball for Portland.
The Celtics should not push for a Brown trade just yet but if he does demand a change of scenery, there are going to be many options for the team to move forward.