Jaylen Brown has been a cornerstone piece for the Boston Celtics for much of his NBA career. Just this past season, he averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game and led the Celtics to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with Jayson Tatum a large chunk of the season as he recovered from a torn Achilles.
After the Celtics got upset by the No. 7-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, though, questions are running rampant in Boston about what’s next for the franchise.
Thanks to a cryptic comment from Brown’s mentor, Tracy McGrady, there’s speculation that the Celtics and Brown may have a rift in their relationship. Having spent his entire 10-year NBA career in Boston, the five-time All-Star has cemented himself as an icon for the franchise. However, if there’s “frustration” behind the scenes and concern about whether the team can return to the NBA Finals as currently constructed, a trade could make sense for both parties.
Should the Celtics part ways with Brown this offseason, here are four NBA teams that would make the most sense as potential trade partners.
Denver Nuggets
After handily winning the NBA championship in 2023, the Denver Nuggets seem to have plateaued with their current core. They haven’t made it past the Western Conference semifinals in three years, including losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games during the first round this year. Their decision to trade Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson last offseason hasn’t aged well, either.
The Nuggets would be smart to retool and add a bigger star alongside Nikola Jokić, and Brown would fit that bill. Jamal Murray shot just 26.2% from 3-point range in the first round, limiting Denver’s offensive attack against a scrappy Minnesota team. If they’re looking for a stronger No. 2 to pair with Jokić, Brown’s two-way abilities would make him a valuable addition as the Nuggets look to get back to their former glory.
A Western Conference executive hyped up Denver as an intriguing landing spot for Brown to Heavy’s Sean Deveney: “He’d be a great match with (Jokić) and give that group a little more fire, which it needs. Boston would get back Jamal Murray but he could be a fit there, more of a point guard for them.”
Houston Rockets
There are two different directions the Celtics could take in a potential trade with the Houston Rockets. The first one would be to replace Brown with Kevin Durant, going all-in on their win-now approach and pairing Tatum with KD in hopes of winning another ring next season. The other would be a long-term strategy, likely revolving around Alperen Şengün. Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. stand out as other potential trade pieces.
Houston has a lot of youth on its roster, so Boston could take advantage by acquiring building young building blocks in exchange for Brown. At the same time, the allegations of Durant using a burner account to take shots at his Rockets teammates could mean his stint with the team could be short-lived. The Celtics could get a great return out of the Rockets for Brown either way; it’s just a matter of which approach they’d want to take.
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks performing as well as they did after trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards was one of the bigger surprises of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. The strong play of Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, along with the breakout season of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, have the Hawks set up as the favorites to win the Southeast Division again next season.
If the Hawks want to pounce on the fact that they’re no longer bound to play-in purgatory, they could make a big swing for a star, and Brown would fit that bill. They have the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft as a result of trading Dejounte Murray to New Orleans, plus the No. 23 pick and a few other young assets they could send to Boston, as well.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated indicated Atlanta was interested in Brown at the trade deadline; it could make sense to circle back.
Milwaukee Bucks
If the Celtics trade Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks, it would likely be part of a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. With ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that the Celtics called about Antetokounmpo prior to this year’s trade deadline, there’s proof that they have at least considered making a big change to the current makeup of their roster.
Of these four potential landing spots, dealing with the Bucks is the only trade scenario here where Brown would be shipped out along with other valuable assets, more so than being the most valuable asset himself. Encouraging play from Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. provide hope in Milwaukee’s future, and adding a bona fide star in Brown, along with whatever players and draft picks Boston gives up in this trade, would set them up for a seamless transition into a post-Giannis era.
