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Celtics Star Named An Ambitious In-Season Trade Target For the Hawks
Jan 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) during overtime at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Atlanta Hawks basketball is two weeks away.

The Hawks are going to begin their highly anticipated season soon and the darlings of the offseason are going to have a chance to have the best season the franchise has seen since they made the conference finals in 2021.

The Hawks roster looks deep, but what if this team, even if they are meeting their goals, sees an opportunity to swing for the fences in a trade? It is not impossible after games start being played and there is one player on a rival team who has come up as a dream trade target for the Hawks.

Potential target?

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Hawks have enough young talent and picks to make a bold move for a player if they choose and while Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the best player who could be traded, what about Celtics star Jaylen Brown? Boston has made plenty of salary saving moves this offseason and if this year is going badly, could the Celtics look at a complete reset and build a team back around Jayson Tatum?

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz thinks so and named Brown an ambitious trade target for the Hawks this season:

"The Atlanta Hawks are knocking on the door to becoming a real contender in the East, although they're probably still a star away from catching the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.

Jaylen Brown could change that.

The 2024 NBA Finals MVP would be the perfect complement to Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, Dyson Daniels and company, as a framework of a deal with the Boston Celtics would improve the C's frontcourt, save money and possibly add future draft capital.

The Hawks should be keeping tabs on Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo and any other big name that could hit the market this season."

Is it realistic?

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Until there is credible reporting around Brown being shopped or wanting out (less likely), this is very unlikely to come to pass. It would take one of Boston having a terrible season and wanting to save more money or Brown asking out.

Brown is from Atlanta though and he has said this in the past about one day possibly putting on the hometown uniform:

“You never know… Nah, I feel you. Nah, I think my grandma would, too… but you never know. We’ll see.” 

Our own Khalil McCuller wrote this back in September:

Brown was raised in Atlanta, specifically in the Marietta area, and still resides there, as his grandmother still lives in the area. He frequently makes appearances to speak to kids about his journey to the NBA. However, Brown, as we know, still finds himself in Boston where he and the team are in a bit of a crossroads as the team has lost co-star Jayson Tatum due to a torn Achilles and as a result, were forced to make moves that gear towards more of a retooling.

This isn't the first time Brown has found himself linked to the Hawks, as two seasons ago, when the Celtics played Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs, he talked about attending his first Hawks game at the age of seven and what it meant to play against his hometown team.

"I remember my first Atlanta Hawks game, I was 7 years old... I was sitting in the nose bleeds... there's probably a kid sitting up there today watching me, feeling the same way I was feeling back then."

What would a trade for Brown look like? It would be costly. Multiple players such as Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu would have to be included and multiple draft picks as well. Would Brown be worth that kind of price? I doubt it from the Hawks perspective, but if Atlanta thinks Brown is the missing piece to win a championship, anything is possible.

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This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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