Should The Boston Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown?

Most importantly, though, those deals provide the Celtics with the financial flexibility they desperately needed.

With Tatum out for several months, Boston could take an even more lucrative path to cutting costs than previously anticipated: trading Jaylen Brown.

THE ARGUMENT FOR A JAYLEN BROWN TRADE

One would think that the 2024 Finals MVP would be immune to trade rumors, but the Celtics do have reason to explore their options with Brown.

Boston is entering a gap year in the absence of Jayson Tatum and is not expected to be a serious title contender anytime soon. Parting with Holiday and Porzingis gets the Celtics beneath the second apron— but just barely.

Boston still has one of the most expensive rosters in the league at over $208 million in projected payroll. It makes little sense to be spending that much money if you aren’t a serious contender.

If the Celtics are looking to cut costs, sending Brown elsewhere is a logical choice. His contract has the sixth-highest AAV in the NBA at $57.1 million. Its $285 million overall value is behind only that of teammate Jayson Tatum and reigning Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Furthermore, Boston shopping its four-time All-Star is not unprecedented. Back in 2019, contract disputes put Brown’s name deep in trade rumors. Following the team’s Finals loss in 2022, the Celtics reportedly offered Brown in a package for then-Nets superstar Kevin Durant.

Three years later, Brown’s name is once again popping up in mock trades.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned the Celtics as one of the few Eastern Conference teams that could be in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Any deal that brings the Bucks star to Boston would all but assuredly send Brown elsewhere.

A Brown trade would provide a massive salary cut, but what tangible assets could the Celtics expect in return? Significant draft capital paired with young talent would be ideal.

The benefits are clear: Boston could significantly ease its financial stress and maintain a talented supporting cast around Jayson Tatum by trading Brown.

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST A JAYLEN BROWN TRADE

Moving the 2024 Finals MVP is certainly not a desirable path for the Celtics, nor a likely one.

Celtics general manager Brad Stevens said he has “full faith” in Brown to lead next year’s team in the absence of Tatum.

Trading a Finals MVP a year after winning the title is also largely unprecedented. It hasn’t happened since Kevin Durant went to Brooklyn in the 2019 offseason after winning the 2018 championship with Golden State. 

That situation was unique, however, and isn’t comparable to a potential Brown trade. Durant, at the time, was entering the final year of an extension he signed with the Warriors and was moved in a sign-and-trade deal. Brown is under contract until 2029.

Durant and Golden State had a well-documented falling out. The writing was on the wall long before his departure. He said of the situation in October of 2019, after he had joined the Nets, “I felt like a lot of stuff in Golden State had reared its head. I felt like it was going to be the end no matter what, especially for that group….It was time for all of us to separate.”

Brown is reportedly content in Boston, and thus, the additional motivations for both sides to seek a split are absent.

At a recent pop-up event for his 741 apparel brand, Brown called Boston “home” and expressed appreciation for the community. He is reportedly planning to spend most of the offseason in Boston for the first time in his nine-year career.

What’s most relevant, though, is Brown’s simply outstanding resume.

Through nine years with the Celtics, Brown has more than proven his worth as a two-way wing who can score at will and defend nearly anyone.

He is an NBA champion, Finals MVP, and four-time All-Star. He was named to the 2022-23 All-NBA Second Team and has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last six seasons.

Under almost any circumstances, trading a player with those accolades at age 28, in his prime, would be ill-advised.

Should the Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown?

The Celtics are at a pivotal moment in the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown era. With Tatum out long-term and the team in need of retooling, some view trading Brown and breaking up the duo as the most viable path forward.

There are certainly benefits to be had from making the move, but such an action is largely unprecedented for good reason. Reactionary decisions rarely form championship teams, and trading Brown at this moment would certainly fall in that category.

Whatever the Celtics decide, the problems they face do not begin and end with their financial situation. However Brad Stevens chooses to approach the situation, Boston’s path back to the top of the NBA food chain will be a difficult one.