Report: Celtics may be alienating Jaylen Brown

The plot may be thickening with Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics.

Boston is running the risk of alienating their star forward Brown by shopping him in trade talks, Bobby Marks of ESPN reported on Monday during “NBA Today.” Marks notes that the Celtics will have to be “awfully careful if something does not materialize” because that could then result in Brown asking for a trade himself.

The former Finals MVP Brown has consistently been mentioned over the last couple of weeks as a trade candidate for the Celtics if they can find a way to land Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Most presumed permutations of the deal would have Brown ending up with a third team (such as one of these reported rival suitors) instead of going directly to Milwaukee in exchange for Antetokounmpo.

Brown, 29, just turned in a career year for the Celtics, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game en route to both All-Star and All-NBA Second Team honors. But with Jayson Tatum set to be fully healthy for the entire year next season, Brown may struggle to replicate that production, meaning that it could be time for Boston to sell high on him.

Meanwhile, there were already certain indications of trouble between Brown and the Celtics, even before the team entered trade talks for Antetokounmpo. For over a month now, we have heard rumors claiming that Brown has been frustrated with his treatment in Boston.

As for the present, the noise linking Antetokounmpo to the Celtics has reached a crescendo, particularly after the significant step that Boston took toward a potential deal over the weekend. That said, if Boston cannot ultimately close a deal for the 10-time All-Star Antetokounmpo, they could end up losing their current star Brown regardless.