...
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Even after failing to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, it's widely speculated that the Boston Celtics are still going to trade former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst said point-blank on the "Unsportsmanlike" podcast on Thursday that Brown "is going to get traded," a sentiment echoed by Shams Charania, who reported on Friday that the Celtics remain "actively engaged" in trade talks.
According to Charania, Boston informed some interested teams that they want at least four first-round picks as part of any deal for Brown. Given some of the other blockbuster moves that have gone through in recent days, that's not a crazy asking price.
Read More on NBA
The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly explored a trade for Brown before pivoting to LaMelo Ball, securing a deal to land the All-Star point guard on Thursday, and the Detroit Pistons have also not been ruled out as a potential destination. Reports have centered around a sign-and-trade with their All-Star center, Jalen Duren, in exchange for Brown.
But on Saturday, ESPN's salary cap expert Bobby Marks revealed that the market for Brown isn't nearly as strong as what the Celtics are hoping for. Marks explained how "analytics of Jaylen Brown is not good," and shared a conversation with one NBA analytics executive who apparently "view him as the seventh-best player on a team."
More news: Raptors Urged to ‘Repeat History’ With Kawhi Leonard Trade
This is an absolutely baffling statement with how Brown has performed over the last few years. He won the Celtics their first NBA championship in 16 years in 2024, winning Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum, and just turned in the best season of his career this past year, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, taking over as the franchise's star player with Tatum sidelined. He earned his fifth All-Star nod, second-team All-NBA honors, and finished sixth in MVP voting.
He looks every bit like a franchise player that's just never been given the keys to an organization.
But this isn't the first time Marks has raised questions about Brown's true value on the market. He previously pointed out that Brown still has three years left on his contract at around $185 million. His cap hit alone comes in at $57 million for the 2026-27 season. That's a lot of money for one player, especially if the Celtics still view him as a secondary option and would prefer to use that money to add more pieces to build a legitimate contender around Tatum.
More news: Luka Doncic Makes His Offseason Demand Clear — Now the Lakers Have to Deliver
...
More news: Kawhi Leonard Trade Rumors Heat Up — And Detroit Is Coming for Him
Brown is still widely considered one of the best players in the NBA, and Boston has already won a title with him. But they also just hit a wall in the playoffs, and it looks like, analytically, he might not be nearly as good as people think.
Many view a Brown trade as inevitable at this point. But the question now is what can Boston realistically get back in return.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines