The Boston Celtics appear to be in a bit of a ticking time bomb scenario with regards to their roster. Even without bringing back their own free agents this offseason (Al Horford and Luke Kornet, to name two), they will already be above the second tax apron. Jayson Tatum's injury complicates matters; with him out for an extended period, will the new Celtics ownership group want to stomach a near $500 million payroll for a team that may not have enough to compete for a title?
Thus, some cost-cutting maneuvers appear to be in the offing for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are the roster's biggest trade candidates for a few reasons (Holiday's three-year contract is expensive for his production, Porzingis is injury-prone), and trading one or even both of them appears to be the easiest pathway for Boston to trim their payroll.
Keeping Jaylen Brown around is imperative if the Celtics were to pick up where they left off and contend immediately after Tatum recovers, which is likely to happen around during the 2026-27 campaign. But other teams will be inquiring of Brown's availability regardless; Brown is an established playoff performer who won NBA Finals MVP in 2024, and could take fringe contending teams over the top.
While it is unlikely for the Celtics to trade Brown away, crazier things have happened in the NBA in the past. And with that, here are a few of Brown's best trade destinations if Boston were to blow everything up.
1. Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) reacts after Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) makes a three point basket in the second half at TD Garden.
David Butler II-Imagn Images
If there's a team knocking on the door of championship contention that's in need of an offensive push, it's the Rockets. Their halfcourt offense can be brutal to watch at times; Jalen Green, as young as he is, showed that he may not be built for the moment the way he struggled against the Golden State Warriors in this year's playoffs. Now, Green is only 23, so things can change for him, but his lack of scoring efficiency and consistency shows that he may not profile as a potential number-one scorer on a championship-level team.
This past season, the Rockets were overly reliant on punishing other teams on the offensive glass to create a huge advantage. Now, that is an indelible part of their identity, and they must lean further into this gritty, muck-it-up style of theirs, for that is what makes their team special. But bringing someone like Jaylen Brown in should raise the floor of their offense come postseason time without sacrificing anything on the defensive end.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka knows how to get the best out of Brown during their time together on the Celtics. And if there's any team that Boston would want to negotiate with, it's Houston; the Rockets have a boatload of valuable first-round picks at their disposal, and they have a few young players (Green? Jabari Smith Jr.? Tari Eason? Reed Sheppard?) that they can dangle in a potential trade.
2. Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Ronald Holland II (00) during the third quarter at the TD Garden.
Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
The Pistons' improvement during the 2024-25 season was something to behold. They won 30 more games than they did during their nightmare of a 2023-24 campaign, with Cade Cunningham blossoming into a major force at the point of attack. He's in that stat-sheet stuffing lead playmaker role akin to the one the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and James Harden have been playing.
It's Cunningham's excellence that should give the Pistons confidence that they can step into the East's upper-echelon for years to come. They have also drafted well in recent years, giving Cunningham running mates he can grow alongside with in Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and Jaden Ivey, to name a few.
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But in the end, as everyone saw during the Pistons' first-round series loss to the New York Knicks, there is a major secondary shot-creation void for the Pistons, especially with Ivey out injured. If the Pistons had Jaylen Brown play the Tim Hardaway Jr. minutes, they might have knocked off the Knicks in the first round.
Given how wide-open the Eastern Conference is, with powerhouses such as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics reeling, floating Boston a call asking of Brown's availability is the least they can do as they smell blood in the water, ready to reclaim their place as the rugged Pistons squad that was a perennial playoff contender during its heyday.
3. Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) handles the ball in front of Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half of game three of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center.
© Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The Magic have found it difficult to score the basketball in recent years; even with the emergence of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic have lacked the floor-spacers to field an offense that does not need to thread the eye of the needle just to put the ball through the hoop. This past season, the Magic's offense became downright problematic, ranking 27th in the league in offensive rating after scoring just 108.9 points per 100 possessions.
The only teams the Magic were better at scoring than were the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards — three teams that were vying for the best lottery odds they could get. Orlando's saving grace was that it boasted the second-ranked defense in the league, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best defensive rating in the association.
Considering how elite the Magic's defense already are, any upgrade to their offense would help their trip back to contention get back on track. However, Orlando would not want to sacrifice its defensive identity to do so, making Jaylen Brown an ideal trade target.
Brown is a fierce defender who can score from all three levels, and he's been part of many elite Celtics defenses in the past. He wouldn't even need to do the bulk of creating on the Magic, as he has Banchero and Wagner to fill that role.
Now, Brown's 32.4 percent shooting from deep isn't ideal for a team that struggles from three as much as the Magic do. But Brown would be a godsend for their ailing offense, a proven two-way player who should then make Orlando a more appealing destination for other talented players, which could then make it easier for them to acquire the floor-spacers they badly need.