Jaylen Brown is one of several Celtics who have been involved in trade talks this offseason as MassLive reported earlier this month. Rumors that swirled around the All-Star during draft week ultimately came and went, while the Celtics brass attempted to downplay any negotiations involving the high-scoring wing and Derrick White.
“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” said vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren on Thursday night. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”
MassLive reported Friday that Boston is exploring trade scenarios involving role players with free agency approaching as they try to collect more assets and open up more spending power to retain their own key free agents in Al Horford and Luke Kornet. However, the door is not closed on Boston listening to offers for their top-tier talent, including Brown. There are some obvious potential fits for Brown around the league (Houston, San Antonio) but Zach Lowe of the Ringer hinted at a surprising new suitor on his podcast Saturday.
“I get the sense there was real smoke, there was something going on,” Lowe said of Brown trade rumors over the past week. “That something maybe has subsided. I said last week that I would bet on (White and Brown) being on the Celtics next year but I’m not slamming the door shut on some team — the Kings come to mind — being like, we’ll offer you everything, all the swaps, all the picks, whatever you want for Jaylen Brown and at least making the Celtics think about it. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think they will both be on the team next year but they instantly could become the main characters of free agency.”
The Kings have already been linked to the Celtics in trade talks this summer, with Sacramento registering interest in Jrue Holiday per sources, before the team ultimately dealt him away to Portland for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks.
Sacramento is certainly not close to a contending team as composed, but they looked primed for major changes this offseason. They have a new general manager in Scott Perry at the helm, and several of their players have already been mentioned in trade rumors in the past few weeks. The team could certainly be looking for a new face of the franchise after dealing away De’Aaron Fox and Brown would certainly be a better option there than any of their current top players.
What could a ‘godfather’ offer from the Kings look like exactly? Any deal would need to be centered around one big salary player such as Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis or DeMar DeRozan for salary matching purposes. Sabonis is obviously the most valuable piece in that bunch, but is a serious step below Brown in trade value. Sabonis also might be the type of player Perry hopes to pair Brown with, in theory. Elsewhere, the Kings have a few intriguing young players (Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, Devin Carter) but all are either unproven (Carter) or will need new contracts starting next offseason.
Thus, the prize of any big Kings offer would be the draft capital. The Kings own all their future first round picks as well as a 2031 Wolves unprotected first round pick. If the Kings offer the Celtics a big contract, Murray and/or Ellis, and a massive haul of draft capital including several first-round picks and swaps, the most attractive part of that deal for Boston would probably be the draft capital. Conceivably, the Celtics could take those picks (and a big contract) to target another star for Tatum’s return.
Whether or not a massive offer like that emerges for Brown remains an open question. However, Sacramento is a surprising team to hear as potentially interested in Brown and given how active they plan to be this summer elsewhere on the roster, this remains a situation worth watching as free agency begins.