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Celtics' Jaylen Brown Move Would Come Down to 2 'Interesting' Suitors

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 12:10 PM ET

In the end, the Celtics' efforts to remake the roster in the coming months will have two goals--the reduction of payroll to get the team out of the dreaded second apron of the NBA luxury tax is the pressing need, but the team also wants to create a roster that can be younger and still competitive when Jayson Tatum returns from his ruptured Achilles tendon injury.

And of course, not quite so expensive going forward.

To that end, the easiest route to address both priorities might well be to trade the second-most expensive--and second-best--player on the roster: Jaylen Brown. It would be a shocking move if it came, but the Celtics would have to at least be open to hearing out teams on such a deal.

For ESPN cap expert and former NBA executive Bobby Marks, there are two teams that could potentially make a move for Brown: the Spurs and Rockets.

"I think the (Spurs) and Houston," Marks said on NBC Sports Boston's "The Off C'Season" podcast. "I think those are the two interesting teams, certainly with Ime having coached him already and with Houston being in here. I think teams have to be careful when you’re trading out future picks because what’s left going out is limited when you want to get another player.

"I think San Antonio and Houston, those teams are certainly—San Antonio has a bunch of draft picks, that Atlanta pick in 2027 is appealing, and certainly Houston, controlling Phoenix’s first for the next five or six years here. Keep an eye on both teams if they go through the offseason and don’t make a big change to their roster."

The implication there is that the Celtics may need the whole summer to figure out the reconfiguration of the payroll, that a move for Brown might come later after other options for Houston or San Antonio are exhausted.

And for the Celtics, trading Brown--a four-time All-Star who averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season--is obviously a last-resort choice, something they'd do only if they got a massive offer that set them up well in the present and future.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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