After their bid to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo unraveled late Monday night, the Boston Celtics must now turn their sights back to one of their own stars. If they have damaged their relationship with Jaylen Brown by deeming him expendable — again — it’s imperative to mend the wound.
Though it’s not clear yet whether the Celtics have a Brown problem now, it would be no great shock if the dynamic between him and the organization is more complicated after the Boston front office included him in a failed pursuit of Antetokounmpo. Brown was indeed on the table in trade talks before the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks (2026, 2031, 2033), one first-round pick swap (2030) and a 2033 second-round pick. The Celtics were hoping to add a two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo, but found nothing in their chase other than a possible locker-room headache.
How will Brown stomach the reality that the Celtics once again tried to move him for one of the NBA’s few bigger names? They had done this dance before. Shortly after reaching the 2022 finals, they dangled Brown in trade talks for Kevin Durant. Not long after those conversations with the Brooklyn Nets fell apart, Brown said he had spoken to the Celtics organization and ownership about the situation. At media day before the 2022-23 season, he didn’t expand on his feelings regarding the rumors, suggesting he had moved past them while saying he would be “ready to play basketball.” Publicly, Brown never indicated that the Durant pursuit impacted his own relationship with the Celtics or president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens.
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Could this time be different? By including him in trade talks, which became public knowledge, the Celtics risked creating an issue with one of their franchise pillars. As soon as it was reported that the Celtics involved Brown in negotiations, the fallout became a possible concern. Now, the Celtics weren’t attempting to trade him for some scrub. They were aiming to land Antetokounmpo, who had finished in the top four in MVP voting in seven straight years before failing to play enough games to qualify for award eligibility last season. Maybe the quality of Boston’s target will give Brown some peace. Still, it could weigh on him that the Celtics have never seemed totally content continuing to build around him. Some All-Stars have become disgruntled for far less.
Especially given the timing, the Celtics’ decision could bother Brown. Since the last time he went through such trade rumors, he won the 2024 championship and the NBA Finals MVP award. Last season was his best — and not just because he set career highs with 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game with the injured Jayson Tatum on the sideline. Teammates believed Brown’s leadership enabled them to exceed expectations. Other All-Stars might have expressed frustration about losing much of a championship core in a single offseason. Brown simply buckled up for a different type of ride. Throughout the offseason, head coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown set the tone for the organization. Teammates noticed his intensity and focus during summer workouts. During 1-on-1 games, Brown’s seriousness opened teammate Jordan Walsh’s eyes. Walsh believed Brown wanted to “set the precedent early.”
“There was just an energy you felt,” Walsh said. “I think he just had an urgency. He was more urgent to what the standard would be this year, what the expectation would be for him this year. And I think that he just stepped up to it and accepted it off the rip. I think that’s what made the biggest difference.”
Walsh could sense Brown wasn’t going to let the Celtics slip much.
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“Everybody kind of bought into it,” Walsh said. “Like, all right, yeah, we understand (Tatum’s) out. We’ve gotta follow somebody’s lead. And he stepped up as the leader during that time. Getting in early and setting that standard, I think that kind of led us to (exceed expectations). I think it was a big part of it for sure.”
Other teammates echoed Walsh’s thoughts. Brown wouldn’t let the Celtics take the season lightly. If anything, he took it upon himself to ensure they developed a sharper edge.
It would only be human if Brown feels ticked off that the Boston front office explored trading him after he finished sixth in MVP voting. Even if he can rationally understand the team’s interest in a player like Antetokounmpo, Brown could feel undervalued after another trip through the rumor cycle. He could begin to feel like the Celtics will never stop looking to flip him for someone else.
As the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes neared their conclusion, Brown addressed some of the negativity recently directed at him by others. On a Twitch stream, Brown said such chatter only adds fuel to his fire.
“All the people that’s doubting me, that want me to do this, or want me gone, or whatever,” Brown said, “you’re turning me into a monster.”
If Brown sounds intent on proving strangers wrong, how will he feel about his own boss favoring another player?
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Before any Celtics fans panic, Stevens deserves some level of trust here. He has a reputation for operating with the utmost respect for his players. If he was willing to put Brown’s name into such publicized trade talks, chances are that Stevens, who coached Brown at the beginning of his career, approached the entire situation with care.
Still, what if Brown is hurt that the Boston front office considered trading him again? What if the Celtics’ attempt to acquire Antetokounmpo stained their relationship with their own five-time All-Star?
How much damage control does Stevens need to do now? How much of an impact will the fallout have?