Boston Celtics
While Brown’s name is suddenly headlining the NBA offseason, Boston can keep him and Jayson Tatum together.
Jaylen Brown could be traded this offseason, but he doesn’t have to be. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
Over the last five days, Jaylen Brown has become the headlining name of the NBA offseason. Once it came out that the Celtics put Brown on the trade block in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, other teams have reportedly been calling Brad Stevens to attempt to land the superstar.
As of now, Brown isn’t on the move anywhere. And even though Stevens said he wants to be more competitive next season, there are plenty of ways he could improve Boston’s roster while keeping Brown and Jayson Tatum together.
Here are five ways the Celtics could improve their roster without necessarily giving up Brown.
Trade for Trey Murphy
Like Brown, Murphy’s name has been thrown around quite a bit in offseason trade rumors. But if there was a way to land Murphy without giving up Brown, that would be an ideal fit for the Celtics.
The return package would likely center around Derrick White, as his and Murphy’s contracts are similar in annual value. A hypothetical trade of White and Baylor Scheierman for Murphy and Pelicans 22-year-old center Yves Missi would be a legal trade keeping both teams below the luxury tax line. Pick swaps would likely be involved as well to balance the deal.
Murphy is a 6-foot-8-inch forward coming off a season averaging 18.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in New Orleans. He’d play in the front court with Tatum, while Brown would slide into the backcourt alongside Payton Pritchard.
Find a center upgrade via trade or free agency
Although Neemias Queta played better than anyone could have anticipated in 2026, he’s not the type of center Boston has been successful with.
The Celtics thrived off having a center capable of at least posing a threat from beyond the arc. Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis played that role perfectly, spacing the floor enough to give Brown and Tatum clean driving lanes. Queta, on the other hand, keeps opposing bigs occupied near the paint, which came back to bite the Celtics in the playoffs.
There are a few viable trade candidates: Evan Mobley would be a top candidate, though it might be hard to land him unless Boston gave up Brown in the process.
Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams, and Zach Collins are all possible upgrades via free agency that could make the Celtics more effective offensively.
Offload Sam Hauser’s contract for more flexibility
Hauser’s career took off once he got to Boston, as he became a legitimate scoring threat off the bench thanks to his hot, albeit streaky, 3-point stroke.
But all good things must come to an end, and the Celtics would have a little more flexibility if they could shed Hauser’s $10 million off their books for the upcoming season.
Boston has plenty of rookies that can fill his spot for less, and it would allow Stevens to hunt for a big-name addition with a little longer leash. Trading Hauser for a future pick would likely be beneficial, unless they wind up including him as a supporting piece of a larger trade. Either way, it’s probably time to move on from Hauser.
Find more minutes for Hugo Gonzalez
The benefit of attacking last season the way the Celtics chose to is that it allowed them to see what they might be able to get out of their younger core.
Gonzalez was a primary benefactor of that. Instead of lingering in the G League waiting for his chance, Gonzalez got meaningful NBA reps in year one, and he impressed. So, whatever moves Boston makes, it shouldn’t sacrifice Gonzalez’s development.
The same sentiment, to a lesser extent, could be true of Jordan Walsh, a lanky wing with plenty of potential. But Walsh could wind up being a smaller piece in a Celtics trade, and he hasn’t turned heads quite to the same level as Gonzalez.
Land LeBron James at a veteran discount
Plenty of stars would have to align for one of the greatest NBA players of all time to land in Boston. James’s son is currently on the Lakers, so James might not be interested in packing up across the country for one swan song year chasing a fifth championship ring.
He’d also have to be willing to take a significant discount to join Boston.
But if everything lined up perfectly, James could work perfectly alongside Tatum and Brown. He could run the offense, taking a backseat to the young duo in terms of scoring but be an integral factor with his playmaking. He’d also be able to rest as many games as he’d need to without worrying about Boston taking a nosedive in the standings, something he hasn’t always had the freedom to do.
The Celtics would certainly be running an interesting lineup, with James serving as quasi-point guard alongside Pritchard, Brown, Tatum, and whoever starts for Boston at center. But his presence could be exactly what Tatum and Brown need to level out their own individual games.
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