The NBA offseason has been quite unpredictable. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to Miami, teams are changing their rosters radically, and the trade market is much more active than it has been in recent years. One name keeps appearing, no matter where you look.
This name is Jaylen Brown. The Boston Celtics aimed to use their five-time All-Star in a trade for Giannis, but the plan failed, and now his trade scenario is gaining momentum independently.
Clippers Want Jaylen Brown and Are Not Hiding It
GettyClippers Make Bold Jaylen Brown Trade Statement Amid NBA Buzz
One executive told ESPN that the Clippers “want Brown bad.” That is a direct quote, and it tells you everything about how L.A. is approaching this offseason. They are not casually browsing the market. They are locked in on a specific target.
The Clippers landed the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and have a 2029 unprotected first-round pick from the Indiana Pacers, acquired in the Ivica Zubac trade. For a team that spent the past couple of seasons in rebuild mode, those are real assets that make a run at a star like Brown possible.
Brown had one of the best individual seasons of his career, averaging 28.7 points per game while playing largely without Jayson Tatum. He also owns a Finals MVP trophy from 2024. Boston is well aware of what they have.
The Celtics are asking for up to four first-round picks, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick, and that price is exactly why most teams are still circling rather than closing.
Clippers Viewed as a Long Shot Despite the Desire
GettyClippers’ Jaylen Brown Trade Interest Just Became Impossible to Ignore
The Clippers are far from alone here. At least seven teams have registered interest, but Portland has consistently been described as the most active pursuer. L.A., by most accounts, was always considered a long shot in this race.
Part of that comes down to uncertainty around Kawhi Leonard and what L.A. is actually willing to move. A real offer for Brown would likely require the fifth pick, the Pacers’ 2029 unprotected first, and more on top of that.
Brown himself has not been sitting quietly through all of this. When a report suggested some analytically-oriented teams did not rate him highly, he took to X and pushed back, writing that nobody has won more combined regular season and playoff games over the last decade, and calling analytics-driven criticism “AI hoops” that is “ruining the game.”
The Celtics, for their part, believe they do not have to move Brown at all and that the relationship can be repaired.
The Clippers want him badly, but wanting is one thing and meeting Boston’s asking price is another. Portland is the frontrunner, the price is staggering, and L.A. still has serious questions to answer about what they are actually willing to give up.
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