Boston Celtics
“That’s a team, given what happened this season, that I could see getting interested in Jaylen Brown.”
Jaylen Brown was one of the top candidates for NBA MVP this season. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe
As Brad Stevens and the Celtics brace for a busy offseason, Jaylen Brown’s name has already started to get tossed out as a potential trade candidate if Boston opts for a drastic roster overhaul.
While Brown remains under contract for three more seasons as a franchise fixture alongside Jayson Tatum, Boston’s disappointing first-round exit — coupled with several reports regarding Brown’s apparent “frustration” with the Celtics — might have the 29-year-old wing on unsteady ground this summer.
Speaking on NBC on Saturday night, NBA insider Chris Mannix reported that the Atlanta Hawks reached out to the Celtics last summer about a potential trade involving Brown.
“I wrote this week about the Atlanta Hawks. Jaylen is a Georgia native. Last offseason, the Celtics and Hawks did have a brief conversation about Jaylen Brown,” Mannix noted. “It didn’t really go anywhere.
“The Hawks were leery about the size of Brown’s contract, which at the time was, I believe, the richest contract in NBA history. And they weren’t really in a position to go all in. The Celtics were not looking to give Jaylen Brown away, either. So, it didn’t go anywhere.”
Even if those talks didn’t result in a trade last summer, Mannix acknowledged that the Hawks could revisit those discussions with Boston this offseason — especially if Stevens is more reticent to change things up in the coming weeks.
“That’s a team, given what happened this season, that I could see getting interested in Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said. “Again, the Miamis, the Houstons, Golden State: teams that are theoretically going to be in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo, could turn around and make a run at Jaylen Brown. So, I think that situation bears watching.”
Speaking on Twitch last week, Brown pushed back against a report from NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady about Brown’s apparent frustration with the Celtics.
“First things first, lotta stuff swirling around the Celtics and our organization,” Brown said. “Hate that our president of basketball operations even had to respond to this. Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. If it was up to me, I’d play in Boston for the next 10 years. I’ll say it again: I hate that Brad even had to respond to this.”
McGrady also tried to clear the air on Saturday about his previous comments. Despite his close ties to Brown, McGrady denied having any recent discussions with the Celtics star since Boston’s season ended in the first round.
“I haven’t talked to Jaylen at all about this,” McGrady said on NBC’s “NBA Showtime” Saturday. “I just know my friend, and when I see certain things, I see frustration. After a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, all this stuff is happening and I’m seeing what I’m seeing because I have a relationship with him.
“I’m part of the media, so if I see something, I’m gonna speak about it. I think they haven’t really separated my friendship versus me being an analyst and talking about this. It was nothing that we had a conversation about. It’s the things that I’m seeing in my friend and what he’s displaying in front of the media.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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