Windhorst: ‘Very good chance’ Jaylen Brown leaves Celtics

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says there’s a “very good chance” Jaylen Brown won’t be with the Boston Celtics next season, pointing to the Celtics’ limited ability to land the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and their continued willingness to shop Brown as roster plannin

For Jaylen Brown, the summer hasn’t felt like a pause so much as a moving target. Even as the Boston Celtics checked the market for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this week, Brown has remained the piece that could change the direction of the franchise—one way or another.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania said Wednesday during Round 2 of the NBA Draft that “the Boston Celtics are actively engaged in trade talks surrounding Jaylen Brown with multiple interested teams.” Charania also described a leaguewide sense of momentum from other clubs. saying there is “a sense of purpose from teams around the league that they feel from the Celtics in these conversations.”.

Brian Windhorst went further on Wednesday, describing an opening for other moves beyond any single blockbuster target. Windhorst said Brad Stevens “said a lot of very nice and respectful things. but he never said he wasn’t trading [Brown].” He then connected Boston’s Antetokounmpo pursuit to what that could mean for Brown’s status.

“The Celtics got into the bidding for Giannis, but not into a bidding war, which means they knew there was a possibility that they would not be able to execute that trade,” Windhorst said Wednesday. “Which means that they knew there’d be potentially other trades that they would make.”

Windhorst added his own expectation: “And, my speculation is, they do have another list with other teams that they’ll be talking to. And, I would believe there’s a very good chance Jaylen Brown is going to be elsewhere at the start of next season.”

Brown’s name has been carried through multiple trade conversations all offseason. Earlier this week. Charania reported that Boston offered up Brown and two first-round picks to the Bucks in an attempt to pry Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee. The Bucks ultimately traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. a deal that left Boston with less room to maneuver—both in upgrading its roster and. potentially. in repairing the relationship with one of its top stars and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP in Brown.

Even with continued interest, Charania cautioned that nothing is locked in. On Wednesday night. he said the situation “does not mean. though. that a deal is guaranteed. because Jaylen Brown does have three years left on his contract.” Charania also pointed to the structure of Brown’s deal. saying “He’s got a supermax deal that he’s on.” He added that “from my understanding. the urgency from either side could change as the weeks go on. ” and that Brown’s status “is very much up in the air in Boston.”.

The Celtics’ offseason searching doesn’t stop at Brown or at one target. Boston has also been linked to other potential big men. including New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley. And while Antetokounmpo represented the highest upside among potential trade targets. the Celtics now face the prospect that a recalibration could come through the centerpiece already in motion.

As the draft approached. Stevens offered no direct answer on Brown’s future. keeping his language anchored to value rather than certainty. Speaking on Tuesday, Stevens was noncommittal when asked about Brown’s future. “Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said after Round 1 of the draft. “I’m never going to predict the future. but every indication. everything that I think about over the past few years has been building around those guys. right?. So obviously, you never know. But at the same time. the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been.”.

Stevens continued, “He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate, a great person to be around. And whether that run ends 10 years from now when he retires, or before, there’s a lot to celebrate. We have a great relationship, an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don’t want to predict the future. I look at it as, this is our team.”.

What those statements don’t settle—at least not yet—is the practical question Charania and Windhorst describe: whether Boston ultimately makes the kind of roster move it appears to be preparing for all summer. Charania says there are multiple interested teams. Windhorst says the Celtics’ failure to force the Antetokounmpo outcome fits a broader plan of potential transactions.

For now, Brown remains both the most talked-about and the most consequential possibility. The Celtics may still be working through their options, but the market is already circling—one that now feels, based on the reporting, like it could pull Brown out of Boston before next season starts.

Jaylen Brown Boston Celtics Brad Stevens Shams Charania Brian Windhorst NBA Draft Giannis Antetokounmpo Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks Trey Murphy III Evan Mobley trade rumors