The Boston Celtics could reportedly trade Jaylen Brown this summer, remarkably a year after the 29-year-old finished sixth in the MVP ballot.
Amid rumors of the Celtics pursuing a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brown sent a cryptic post via his X account on Thursday.
“The neighbors rice always smells better,” wrote the All-Star wing.
Many fans perceived Brown’s tweet as his way of expressing the “grass is always greener” idiom and sending a message to the Celtics front office.
Will Celtics Regret Jaylen Brown Trade?
Not everyone feels the Celtics should trade Jaylen Brown for the oft-injured Antetokounmpo, who has missed a total of 70 regular-season games and six playoff games over his last three years. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, in particular, has urged the Celtics not to swap Brown for Antetokounmpo.
“I would not trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis straight up. I wouldn’t do it,” Mannix told NBC Sports Boston last month.
“Giannis is too unpredictable,” he added. “These soft tissue injuries would terrify me. He’s 31 years old, looking for a max contract, coming off his history of injuries. The injury history of Giannis would scare the crap out of me.”
Mannix opined that the C’s could ruin their team chemistry by breaking up the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum combo, which delivered them an NBA title just two years ago.
“Don’t mess with success, man,” Mannix stressed. “Look what you’ve got here. You’ve got success in Boston. Do not screw it up.
Celtics Trade Target: Giannis
“Everybody in the league is trying to get their hands on versatile two-way wings like Jaylen Brown,” he added. “Somebody will happily take him off your hands if you make him available. As much as I love Giannis, I wouldn’t take him right now over Brown.”
If reports are to be believed, the C’s are not heeding those warning signs.
Per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, the Celtics are shopping the entire roster, including Brown, in their efforts to pair the “Greek Freak” with Tatum.
“I have heard Boston is shopping people around right now, that Boston is making calls and is open to trading anybody besides Jayson Tatum,” O’Connor said on Thursday.
“And that doesn’t necessarily mean they land Giannis at the end of the day, but I do believe, based off of everything and all the conversations I’ve had, is that the Celtics are in on Giannis, and that they are making a push on him.
“This feels very, very real to me,” he added.
While the Miami Heat are still viewed as the frontrunner to pull off a Giannis trade, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Thursday that Boston’s interest in the two-time MVP “genuinely concerns” the Heat.
Other insiders, such as Bill Simmons, have also changed their tone on the Giannis to Celtics rumors.
“I thought Boston was out of this,” Simmons said on Thursday. “I know Boston was out of this. I was wondering if they were playing possum or not. I think they were playing a little possum. I think they are in on Giannis.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are widely expected to trade Antetokounmpo before the June 23 NBA Draft.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Sends Cryptic Message Amid Giannis Trade Rumors appeared first on HEAVY.