Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown remains vocal on social media, and he could ultimately talk his way out of town given the circumstances both in his own locker room and around the league.
Zach Lowe of The Ringer talked trades with Howard Beck on the latest edition of his podcast last week, during which Lowe directed much of his focus toward potential suitors for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lowe entertained, but then sort of dismissed, the New York Knicks — Antetokounmpo’s destination of choice — particularly if the team should make the NBA Finals, which it is now just four wins shy of doing.
Lowe also questioned whether the Cleveland Cavaliers might contemplate something like a straight-up swap of Evan Mobley for Antetokounmpo after Mobley played big in the Cavs’ second-round win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors can also make compelling offers, but in the end Lowe was most bullish on a three-team proposal of his own that ships Brown to the Portland Trail Blazers, Antetokounmpo to Boston and a boatload of draft assets to the Bucks.
“I’m expecting him to be traded,” Lowe said. “The more I think about it, I like my three-team trade idea of Jaylen Brown to Portland, Giannis to Boston, picks galore and other stuff to the Bucks. But I don’t know if the Celtics really have an appetite to break up [Brown and Jayson Tatum] and the greatest Twitch stream I’ve ever seen, the Jaylen Brown Twitch stream.”
Bucks, Blazers Have Strong Incentives to Enter 3-Team Trade With Celtics for Jaylen Brown
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Portland holds Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2029, which is unprotected, as well as first-round swap rights in 2028 and 2030. Recovering those assets is a strong incentive for the Bucks, as the team would allow itself to bottom out in the interest of a multi-year rebuild by doing so.
The Blazers already dealt for ex-Celtics star/champion Jrue Holliday, who is under contract for two more seasons, including a player option in 2027-28.
Portland fought its way to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference this postseason and won a playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs in Round 1. The Trail Blazers want to be good, and adding Brown is a monster step in that direction after he finished No. 6 in MVP voting this year.
Then there is Boston. The duo of Brown and Tatum has been undeniably fantastic there, earning two trips to the NBA Finals and one title together.
However, Brown has stirred the pot via his aforementioned Twitch stream in the days since Boston blew a 3-1 lead in the Round 1 of the playoffs to the now-eliminated Philadelphia 76ers, which has reportedly caused some fallout in the Celtics’ locker room and the organization as a whole.
Jaylen Brown Calling Out Media Members on Social Media
GettyJaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Brown’s first controversial comments involved him saying in the immediate aftermath of the playoff collapse that 2025-26 had been his favorite season across a decade in the league.
Some took that as a slight against Tatum, who was out for much of the campaign with an Achilles tear. Tatum’s injury cleared the path for Brown to have his own team, so to speak, and some critics interpreted Brown’s commentary as selfish and more concerned with personal accolades than team success. Brown later attempted to clarify his words, contending that wasn’t the case.
One of Brown’s loudest detractors in this regard has been ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who Brown called out Sunday for that precise reason.
“[Bleep] Stephen A., Stephen B., Stephen C. His vocabulary, his delusion, his attire and his necessity to serve these higher-ups,” Brown said. “Man, I’m not trying to hear any of that [bleep]. You want me to be quiet and stop streaming. I think a lot of people want you to be quiet as well and get off these networks. You’re not doing real journalism. You’re using your platform to do clickbait.”
Former, Current Celtics Reportedly Taking Issue With Jaylen Brown’s Commentary
GettyJaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Unsurprisingly Smith responded, and that response included threats to report deeper on unrest within the Boston locker room as currently constructed with regards to Brown’s recent commentary/behavior.
Taking up for Smith on Monday’s edition of “First Take” was Smith’s ESPN colleague Kendrick Perkins, who claimed to have spoken to several former members of the Celtics who ‘don’t rock’ with Brown because of his actions.
“I get another text that says, ‘Hey, JB trippin.’ Another text from a former Celtics player that said ‘JB, lack of accountability,’” Perkins said. “JB, guess what? It’s a lot of people in the organization, a lot of former players, legends, that don’t agree with you, bro.”
In a vacuum, Brown’s behavior since the Celtics’ playoff defeat almost certainly wouldn’t put him in danger of a trade — especially after averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and quality effort/execution on defense.
However, if there really are rifts between Brown and other important members of the organization, including players in the locker room — and trading him could result in bringing back the size Brad Stevens says the Celtics need in the form of an elite superstar in Antetokounmpo — the math on all that could change quite quickly.
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