Jaylen Brown’s trade price could get complicated (and Celtics might blink)

Trading Jaylen Brown doesn’t make any sense for the Boston Celtics unless they get the type of offer they can’t refuse. At any point in time, every player around the NBA is available for trade. That’s what the Luka Doncic trade taught the league. The only barrier is price. And if the right team comes calling, a deal can be made.

Obviously, the Celtics are in a very weird position this summer. With Jayson Tatum likely sidelined for all of next year, they could choose to make some serious changes this summer. They have wiggle room, and since they already need to get under the second apron, that wiggle room could be manipulated.

Brown is one of the more interesting names to monitor.

What teams could want Jaylen Brown?

If the Denver Nuggets came calling about Brown and offered Nikola Jokic, the Celtics would say yes. If the Brooklyn Nets called and offered one first-round pick, the Celtics would say no. The key is finding the middle ground between those two types of offers.

San Antonio Spurs

Let’s say the San Antonio Spurs want to avoid a guard crunch at the bottom of their roster, as drafting Dylan Harper would leave them with him, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle.

Throwing the No. 2 pick in a deal may send a trade package over the line from the Celtics hanging up the phone to picking up. The Spurs could send the second pick, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Blake Wesley, and perhaps other draft capital, if the Celtics asked for it, to Boston for Brown.

Would the Spurs turn their heads away? Maybe. But that’s the type of offer that would force the Celtics to consider moving Brown.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors haven’t been brought up in rumors as a potential Brown suitor, but with their apparent interest in adding a star this summer, maybe they give Boston a ring.

They would have to load up an offer with a ton of draft capital, but they could definitely get there. If they offered RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, the No. 9 pick, two future firsts, and a future pick swap, would it be enough to at least pique the Celtics’ interest? Probably.

There are other teams—the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, etc—who would also make sense as potential Brown landing spots. The point is that a team would have to throw a serious overpay at the Celtics in order to get them interested.

But if that overpay gets thrown onto the table, the Celtics would be put in a very tough position.