The Boston Celtics almost shipped Jaylen Brown to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That didn’t happen. Giannis went to Miami instead. And now Brown is left holding the bag, fully aware his own team was ready to move him for a rental shot at a superstar.
This is not the kind of thing that gets smoothed over with a team meeting and a handshake. Brown just finished an All-NBA Second Team season, averaging 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while holding the Celtics together during Jayson Tatum’s recovery from a ruptured Achilles. He stepped up. The Celtics responded by trying to trade him. According to multiple reports, Brown is not thrilled about it.
If the relationship is truly broken, Boston has two paths forward that don’t completely torch the roster. These aren’t ideal, but neither is the situation.
Trade No. 1: The Hawks bring Brown home
The Celtics get: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jonathan Kuminga, Corey Kispert, the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
The Hawks get: Jaylen Brown
This one has been floating around rumor circles for a while. Brown is from Georgia. He played at Cal, but his ties to Atlanta run deep. For the Hawks, it’s a consolidation move. They’ve got wing depth — Alexander-Walker, Kispert, Jalen Johnson — and they can package it for a bonafide perimeter star who can also defend.
Alexander-Walker has turned into one of the best two-way guards in the league on a contract that’s almost embarrassingly cheap. He averaged nearly 21 points per game for Atlanta last season. Kispert is a knockdown shooter who fits Boston’s three-point system. Kuminga is still raw but young enough that Joe Mazzulla and Tatum might unlock something. And that No. 8 pick could land the Celtics a real center — Adey Mara, the 7-foot-4 rim protector from the draft class. Boston was undersized all year. Neemias Queta is fine but he’s not a starting-level big on a contender.
The Hawks might balk at giving up Zaccharie Risacher too. That’s fine. The deal as structured is already solid value for a star who might force his way out anyway.
Trade No. 2: Blazers go all in, Celtics stockpile young talent
The Celtics get: Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, a 2027 first-round pick, two second-round picks
The Blazers get: Jaylen Brown
Portland already has Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt. Adding Brown gives them a starting five of Lillard, Brown, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan, with Holiday leading the bench. That’s a legitimate playoff rotation.
For Boston, the appeal is the rebuild on the fly. Henderson is 22 years old and showed serious flashes in the playoffs last season. He hasn’t had a real chance to run a team as the primary floor general. Sharpe is also 22 with scoring potential that’s off the charts, even if his shooting percentages are still inconsistent. Grant is a veteran wing who can play three positions, shoot 38 percent from deep and defend multiple spots. He’s overpaid — two years left at around $70 million — but he’s functional in a system that values spacing and versatility.
The first-round pick in 2027 gives Boston future flexibility. The two seconds are filler, but draft capital is draft capital.
Portland would probably prefer to keep Sharpe. He’s young, long, athletic and exactly the kind of wing contenders covet. But if you want a guy who just averaged 29-7-5 as the first option on a playoff team, you have to give up something real. Brown is under contract for multiple years and he’s 29 years old. That’s a win-now move for a franchise that’s been stockpiling picks and young talent for years.
The Celtics don’t want to trade Brown. The fan base definitely doesn’t want to trade Brown. But if he’s checked out after Boston tried to deal him for Giannis, holding on to a disgruntled star is worse than getting value for him. These two deals at least give Brad Stevens something to work with.
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