The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly been linked to being in the hunt to trade for Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown.
“The Pelicans have been mentioned by various league executives with Jaylen Brown interest, as well,” NBA insider Jake Fischer said on Bleacher Report’s live show on Tuesday.
The Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks are also reported teams interested in Brown, according to Fischer.
“Again, we don’t know if Boston’s even going to fully entertain this, at the end of the day, but that doesn’t mean that these teams aren’t going to call,” he said. “And it doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to try.”
Brown averaged career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists this past season for the Celtics. Boston was without fellow star wing Jayson Tatum for most of the year while he recovered from an Achilles injury.
Brown is a five-time NBA All-Star and took home Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP honors in 2024.
In 2023, Brown signed what was then the richest contract in NBA history with the Celtics – a 5-year, $303.7 million supermax. Now, he is currently the 12th-highest-paid player in the league and is set to make $57 million this upcoming season.
NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B.” Robinson confirmed Fischer’s report of the Pelicans’ interest in Brown and said the framework of a potential deal to get him to New Orleans is guard Dejounte Murray, wing Trey Murphy III and “significant draft capital.”
Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is also not off the table for any potential deals, Robinson reported.
“The Pelicans prefer to keep Zion, but they aren’t married to him if they can offload him,” Robinson quoted from a source in his report.
The only two “untouchables” currently on the Pelicans’ roster are rising sophomores Jeremiah Fears and Derek Queen, according to Robinson.