The Boston Celtics find themselves at the center of the two biggest trade rumors this offseason. The first is an internal one, with Jaylen Brown making comments that suggest he may be looking for a chance to become a new team's No. 1 option. Brown claimed that the 2025-26 season, one in which he didn't have Jayson Tatum around taking away touches and Brown could serve as the undisputed alpha, was his favorite, despite the Celtics bowing out of the playoffs' first round against the Philadelphia 76ers after blowing a 3-1 lead.
The other major trade story is Giannis Antetokounmpo's continued "will he, won't he (be traded" in Milwaukee. The Bucks passed on a chance to send him away at the trade deadline. Apparently, Brad Stevens had interest in a move for Antetokounmpo this past February.
Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix believes this would be the offseason to trade Brown if you're Boston, though he labeled him a potential fallback option for teams that can't complete a Giannis blockbuster with the reportedly picky Bucks.
"One team is going to get Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and that will probably leave five or six teams out there with young players, picks, draft capital, and a whole bunch of stuff that they could potentially offer Boston for Jaylen Brown in a trade... They’re hearing the reports of tension, and wondering if there’s an opportunity to go get Jaylen Brown," Mannix said.
"And you can make an argument, honestly, that acquiring Jaylen Brown is a better decision than acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo (based on age and recent injury history)."
Mannix basically called Brown the best asset on the trade market. Should he even be on the trade market, short of an explicit trade demand, though?
Let's assess the Celtics' best trade options this offseason involving Brown and Antetokounmpo:
Best case: Keeping Jaylen Brown, making other trades to improve
The best Brown trade is the one that's not made.
Boston has become a perennial contender in the decade Brown has been wearing Celtics green. Now is not the time to give up on the "Jays" era. Tatum wasn't healthy at any point this season, including the playoffs, and the team still won 56 games and nabbed the No. 2 seed. There's no reason to stray from that.
If anything, Stevens owes Brown, Tatum, Derrick White, and Joe Mazzulla the chance to win a second title in four years with a win-now group. Few moves Stevens made last offseason indicated winning Banner 19 was even in the cards during Tatum's recovery season.
Next best-case: Trading Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo
If Stevens wants to cut the cord with Brown and try to sign Antetokounmpo to a deal worth less than what the Georgia native is owed in the coming years, that's somewhat understandable.
Antetokounmpo is up for a new contract next summer, with a player option for the 2027-28 season. If we're being honest, the "Greek Freak"'s skillset is more complementary to Tatum's than Brown's is.
It's not ideal to break up long-established championship chemistry, but if you do, bringing in a former Finals MVP and nine-time All-NBA point-forward is the next best thing you could do. Antetokounmpo reportedly wants an Eastern Conference contender, so this is the best-case, realistic fallback if Brown in Boston is a non-starter.
Worst-case: Trading Jaylen Brown for a non-Giannis Antetokounmpo return
If Brown ends up being dealt after a team misses out on Antetokounmpo, Stevens could potentially get a big return back. Pretty much anything short of Giannis in a Brown trade makes Boston worse, though. Full stop.
Trading Brown might open the door to more deals. White has a big contract that the Celtics' new ownership may not want to foot the bill for. Sam Hauser has yet to truly deliver appropriate value on the extension he signed after the team's 2024 title run. Payton Pritchard's bargain deal could probably help Stevens get off of Hauser's salary.
No Cs fan wants this. Most in Boston would like to see Stevens make a run to bring Jrue Holiday back from the Portland Trail Blazers, or settle for a Brown-Giannis swap, before ever wanting to send away more champions from the team's magical Banner 18 run.
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