In the world of the Boston Celtics, this has been the summer of Jaylen Brown. From his stream one day after getting bounced from the NBA playoffs to the ensuing weeks of rumors, Giannis Antetokounmpo-based or otherwise.
The Celtics were unfortunately unable to capitalize on Brown’s All-NBA Second Team campaign. That said, it was still by far the best season of his career. And although plenty of jokes were made about his “favorite season of my career” comment, it made sense.
Getting the freedom to lead a team and play your game is something every basketball player must dream of. And for Brown, he got the chance to not only live that dream but defy the expectations of the outside world in doing so.
That said, Brown has still found himself in a slew of trade rumors this summer.
Obviously, the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes affects Brown. Should Boston decide to strike a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown would almost certainly be included in the package.
Getting Antetokounmpo in a Celtics jersey would likely see Brown depart, though a move like that wouldn’t come without risks. Antetokounmpo has dealt with injuries in recent years, and there have been murmurs about the Bucks’ questionable behind-the-scenes actions as a team.
But the Antetokounmpo rumors aren’t the only instance of Brown being tossed into trade rumors.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line noted that the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Atlanta Hawks are believed to have at least some trade interest in Brown. Jake Fischer added that the New Orleans Pelicans could also be intrigued by the idea of trading for Brown. Shamit Dua mentioned that the Pelicans supposedly haven’t checked in on Brown, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no interest there.
Trey Murphy III, in particular, would be an intriguing return for the Celtics. But no matter the trade idea, no matter the rumor, the risks of even considering a Brown trade persist.
Brown has been with the Celtics for 10 years. There are roots built. A community. Trading a player like that is hard.
That’s without even mentioning the on-court play. This year, in particular, Brown emerged as one of the best players in the league. He grew in so many areas this season, and his leadership reached another level, too.
You don’t just trade a player like that without seriously considering the ramifications. You don’t do it unless you’re getting back either a player better than Brown or a group of players and picks that significantly shakes up the team and/or improves the future.
And even then, it’s a questionable decision.
© Gregory Shamus
Jalen Brunson scores on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs
The New York Knicks are owning the NBA Finals right now. Jalen Brunson has been an incredible shot-maker, Karl-Anthony Towns has been impressive on both ends of the court, and Victor Wembanyama does not look comfortable on offense.
It’s been a problem at times throughout the playoffs, and it’s happening again in the Finals. Wembanyama needs to be San Antonio’s primary source of offense, and that hasn’t worked out thus far.
But it’s more than that. Wembanyama and the Spurs are struggling on offense, and they’ve run into a brick wall. The Knicks are red-hot.
New York has now won 13 straight postseason games. Its offense is on another level. Shot-making wins basketball games, and the Knicks know that better than anyone.
Now, the Knicks are up 2-0 in the Finals, heading back to Madison Square Garden.
It looks like New York is going to take home the Larry O’Brien this year, but anything is possible.
Stein recently provided updates on the Dallas Mavericks’, Portland Trail Blazers’, and Chicago Bulls’ coaching searches, two of which include current Celtics assistants.
Dallas is reportedly about to narrow things down. Stein mentioned the following people as potentially in the running: Minnesota assistant Micah Nori, Houston assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto assistant Jama Mahlalela, Boston assistant Tony Dobbins, and Miami consultant Noah LaRoche.
Dobbins worked closely with Jayson Tatum during his Achilles recovery and, before that, with Brown. He’s one of Joe Mazzulla‘s front-of-the-bench assistants in Boston.
Meanwhile, in Portland, Stein noted that the search is down to three finalists: Nori, Blazers interim head coach Thiago Splitter, and Boston’s Tyler Lashbrook.
Lashbrook was the head coach of the Maine Celtics in 2024-25 and was back in Boston (second row of the bench) this past season. This year, he was the primary player development coach for Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez, among others.
“He’s helped me a lot since the first day,” Gonzalez told BostonSportsJournal.com. “I worked with him around Summer League, especially, and after the Summer League process, and we got deeper into the preseason and everything, I’ve been working with him the whole summer. And I mean, he’s an amazing coach, an amazing player — an amazing person, sorry. He’s been great with me. And also, it’s hard to catch the game where you come from overseas, and everything that he has made my life easier in that.”
LA Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy and Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams were also in the running for the Blazers gig, but they have since been ruled out.
Lastly, Stein only mentioned two names as part of the Bulls’ coaching search: Nori and current Chicago assistant Wes Unseld Jr., who was previously the head coach in Washington from 2021 to 2024 (he was let go in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign, replaced by current head coach Brian Keefe).
3. Summer of weird trades
In his latest entry in The Stein Line, Fischer noted a few names who could hit the trade block this summer: Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and Domantas Sabonis.
The Antetokounmpo landscape seems pretty straightforward. Injury issues in mind, Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. Adding him to a roster should, in the right situation, immediately catapult that team into title contention.
Morant and Sabonis, on the other hand, are a different story.
In both cases, a very specific situation is needed. Both need 3-point shooting and a defensive infrastructure around them to be at their best, and that’s without considering the financials.
Trading for Morant or Sabonis would put any team in a weird spot. Morant will make $42.2 million next season, and Sabonis will make $45.5 million. Those aren’t exactly easy contracts to consume while also keeping the top end of the roster intact.
So, if those guys do get traded, it will be very intriguing to see where they land.
© Bruce Kluckhohn
Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard
4. New Kawhi Leonard update
Remember when the Kawhi Leonard rumors set the league on fire? When there were rumblings that Leonard and the Clippers circumvented the cap? When Pablo Torre found out?
“Kawhi Leonard and his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson have been interviewed by NBA investigators as part of the league’s inquiry into allegations that the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap to compensate Leonard, according to sources with direct knowledge of the investigation,” Holmes wrote. “Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and other team executives have also sat for interviews, sources said, as have executives for Aspiration, the now-defunct green banking company at the center of the allegations.”
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Anthony Edwards may not be too thrilled with the current state of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster:
“Going forward after this series, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future is in question somewhat because of what Ant feels about the roster, and I wonder if KAT was still there, if he did,” Windhorst said.
Towns has been incredible for the Knicks, acting as one of their primary playmakers during their current postseason run. His defense against Wembanyama in the first two games of the Finals has also been impressive.
Reports from earlier this summer indicate that Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle could be on the chopping block. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted that they plan to build around their core of Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Joan Beringer.
If Edwards isn’t happy, expect the Wolves to do everything in their power to change that reality.
