Jaylen Brown Could Be Odd Man Out in Celtics Cap Crunch

The Boston Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs in the second round by the New York Knicks. Despite entering the series as heavy favorites, Boston made multiple mistakes throughout, and the Knicks were able to capitalize.

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Heading into the summer, the Celtics are expected to make multiple moves to deal with their high salary issues. Boston could be moving on from some crucial players, and this offseason could be one of the more important in recent memory.

While the Celtics are unlikely to move away from stars Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, stranger things have happened. Tatum is currently out due to a torn Achilles, leaving Brown as the more likely candidate to be moved.

Moving Brown would shore up a lot of cap space, but the team would need the right deal to make it happen. NBA writer Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report put together some trade ideas for the Celtics, and had Brown going to an Eastern Conference rival.

Here is how the deal would look:

Nets receive: Jaylen Brown

Celtics receive: Cam Thomas (sign-and-trade), Noah Clowney, the No. 8 pick in 2025, a 2027 first-round pick (via Philadelphia) and a top-5 protected 2031 first-round pick

"For the Celtics, of course, this makes the team significantly worse in the short term. Cam Thomas probably wouldn't even finish in Boston whatever contract he'd sign to make this happen. Noah Clowney's at least a flier for the frontcourt. What this is really about, again, is the savings. Brown is set to make nearly $65 million in 2028-29. Getting out of that deal, picking up multiple firsts and getting out of the dreaded second-apron territory are valuable things."

"Of course, some other organization could very easily beat this package in terms of players and picks (without the help with the apron). And that might force Brooklyn to up the ante a bit with more draft capital or young talent."

Moving Brown would likely require a king's ransom deal, so the Nets would need to offer more to Boston. Brown has been a staple of this Celtics team for years, and Boston isn't just going to give him up for nothing.

In any deal with Brooklyn, the Celtics would likely try to bleed them dry of draft picks. This could arm Boston to go after another star on the market, giving them more of a chance to win.

Brown likely won't get traded this summer, but when it comes to cutting salary, anything is possible in the NBA.

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