Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard are two of the hottest names in the NBA rumor mill. The Boston Celtics are reportedly exploring the trade market for the five-time All-Star, while the Los Angeles Clippers remain engaged in extension talks with the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Despite growing speculation that the two teams could swap stars, NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer poured cold water on those rumors.
NBA Insiders Drop Major Jaylen Brown Update as Clippers Weigh Kawhi Leonard’s Future
The Clippers have consistently maintained that they want to build a championship team around Leonard. Despite that, they have yet to sign the seven-time All-Star to a two-year, $126.1 million contract extension that Leonard is eligible for.
While the 6-foot-6 forward’s future in Los Angeles hangs in the balance, ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly wrote on Monday that Brown is the Clippers’ “top target” if they “were to move on from Leonard.” He added that if a swap doesn’t materialize, LA’s “top priority,” likely via a multi-team trade, would still be “to land Brown from the Celtics.”
However, Stein and Fischer’s intel later that day pointed in the opposite direction.
“Sources say that the Clippers, whether or not their talks with the [Toronto] Raptors progress all the way to a completed deal, have not pursued Boston’s Jaylen Brown this offseason. The sources added that the Clippers aren’t planning to make a run at the Celtics’ MVP candidate,” Stein and Fischer wrote.
Stein/Fischer:
“Sources say that the Clippers, whether or not their talks with the Raptors progress all the way to a completed deal, have not pursued Boston’s Jaylen Brown this offseason. The sources added that the Clippers aren’t planning to make a run at the Celtics’ MVP… pic.twitter.com/HMiQG9lha7
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) June 30, 2026
In Sunday’s newsletter for “The Stein Line,” the league insiders revealed that the Raptors are the biggest threat to pry Leonard from his hometown team. Toronto, which “The Claw” led to the 2019 NBA championship, is also reportedly the only team he is willing to sign an extension with.
Leonard is on an expiring $50.3 million contract heading into the 2026-27 campaign. As such, there is a sense of urgency for LA to sign him to an extension or replace him with at least an All-Star-caliber replacement.
The Clippers finished this past season with a 42-40 record and suffered a disappointing play-in tournament exit. LA already signaled its intention to get younger by sending James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland in February. After selecting Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Clippers injected even more youth into their lineup.
Brown is six years younger than the 35-year-old Leonard and more durable, so any interest from LA would not be surprising to most.
More stunning has been Boston’s reported decision to trade Brown, who is under contract until the end of the 2028-29 season.
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP was the Celtics’ centerpiece in their offer to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. After the Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for a haul of players and draft picks, Boston is reportedly still looking to move Brown.
The Celtics are asking for at least four first-round picks in return for one of the NBA’s best wing players. According to “The Stein Line,” the Clippers aren’t even entertaining the thought.
