Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens could have quieted some of the Jaylen Brown chatter on Tuesday. While speaking after the first round of the NBA Draft, Stevens was asked directly whether Brown would still be on the Celtics roster come opening night.
Stevens could have responded with a simple, “Yes.” Though it has been widely publicized that the Celtics offered up Brown in their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stevens could have pointed out that he and his front office only made Brown available for a two-time MVP. With Antetokounmpo traded to the Miami Heat, Stevens could have made it clear he wouldn’t consider moving Brown for anyone else expected to hit the market.
Instead, despite praising Brown, Stevens avoided ruling out a split with him.
“I’m never going to predict the future,” Stevens said.
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It would be no surprise if Brown stays with the Celtics and continues his highly successful partnership with Jayson Tatum indefinitely. However, there is a growing perception that the organization would consider the idea of trading Brown for the right price. There have been whispers around the league of Boston’s interest in New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III. There is even some belief that the Celtics front office would consider offers based more on younger prospects, picks and pick swaps. In any potential deal, Boston would be expected to demand top value for Brown, who is coming off a sixth-place MVP finish.
Stevens said plenty of other nice words about Brown, calling him “an amazing teammate,” “a great person to be around” and “a big part of us.” Still, given the question, the part Stevens didn’t say hit harder than what he did. For the Celtics, Stevens decides the future. And he didn’t definitively say Brown fits into that future anymore.
“Every indication, everything that I think about over the past few years has been building around those guys, right?” Stevens said. “Obviously, you never know. But at the same time, I think the one thing that I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been.
“Whether that run ends 10 years from now when he retires or before,” Stevens added, “there’s a lot to celebrate.”
One decade into Brown’s Celtics tenure, there is indeed a lot to celebrate. He has reached the conference finals six times. He has advanced to the finals twice, winning one championship in 2024. He has racked up a Finals MVP award, five All-Star Game appearances and two All-NBA team berths. Coming off the most productive season of his career, he sounded thrilled about his place with the Celtics as recently as last month.
“I love Boston,” Brown said on a May 6 Twitch stream. “And if it was up to me I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.”
It might not be up to Brown. Since then, the Celtics tried and failed to trade him for Antetokounmpo. Even afterward, Stevens declined to close the door on moving one of his franchise cornerstones. While Stevens didn’t come close to making any declaration that Brown has played his final game with the Celtics, the 29-year-old’s future with the organization has become a question mark.
Why would the Celtics consider moving on for Brown now? Though they won 56 regular-season games, their first-round exit helped reveal they weren’t as close to championship caliber as their record suggested. Following the playoffs, Stevens pointed out that Boston went just 3-11 against the other top-three seeds. He saw a gap between them and the league’s elite squads. He could feel that a bigger shakeup is necessary. And it could be smart to examine Brown’s value now after he averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).
Even so, Boston has already taken a significant risk with its offseason approach. Stevens said he was honest with Brown before his name popped up in the trade rumor mill, but it must have been emotional for Brown to hear the Celtics were shopping him after he played such a critical role in helping them defy expectations last season. And if Boston does trade Brown, it could be doing so just in time for him to enter his prime somewhere else. He earned second-team All-NBA honors last season and has consistently shown an ability to improve his weaknesses. Beyond his on-court impact, Celtics teammates emphasized how critical Brown’s leadership was last season. His voice would be missed if Boston finds a trade for him.
The Celtics continued solidifying their roster Wednesday night by selecting St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell with the 40th pick in the draft. They also acquired Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr. with the 27th pick in the first round on Tuesday. Stevens still has work to do with a need for more frontcourt help and a desire to add a speedy perimeter player.
Whatever else the Celtics do, their next steps with Brown promise to define their offseason.
