boston celtics
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A new NBA rumor has added fuel to the speculation that the Boston Celtics could consider a Jaylen Brown trade by suggesting the San Antonio Spurs would be a team to watch in a potential sweepstakes.
One of the biggest stories heading into the NBA offseason is how different the Celtics roster may end up looking in 2025-26. For months, there has been speculation that they could break up their championship core because of a salary bill (including payroll taxes) that will top $500 million if they maintain the status quo.
The assumption has been that Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and even Derrick White will be the pricey players moved this summer. However, there have been new rumblings that Jaylen Brown could potentially be traded instead. He will make over $50 million next season. Getting that money off the books could avoid having to trade several key members of their roster.
This week, Sports Illustrated NBA insider Chris Mannix added fuel to a potential deal when he explained why the Spurs would be a serious contender in the Brown trade market.
“The team I’d watch the closest with Jaylen Brown is probably the Spurs,” Mannix said on [NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season](http://“The team I’d watch the closest with Jaylen Brown is probably the Spurs,” Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season special. “Sure, I think (the Spurs would) love to make a run at Giannis, but do the Bucks ask for Stephon Castle? Like, is that on their wish list? And if it is, I can’t see San Antonio doing a deal like that. “One of the concerns people in San Antonio told me about is, you go and deal for a guy like Giannis, all of a sudden you’ve created a championship window, but it is a window with a closing date. You’ve got De’Aaron Fox, who’s in his late 20s, Giannis in his early 30s, and the last thing they want is to have a roster after those guys kind of age out where when (Victor) Wembanyama is maybe looking around going, ‘All right, where are the young guys I’m going to play with after that?’ “It certainly is a problem for another day, but that’s on the mind of the San Antonio Spurs. That’s why they want to hold on to Stephon Castle, so he can be that second guy opposite Wembanyama for a long time, assuming they trade that No. 2 pick.” As Mannix puts it, the Celtics would be a more attractive trade partner for the Spurs because they likely wouldn’t require a player like Castle in return. Instead, the deal would center around the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft — likely Rutgers standout guard Dylan Harper. “I think if you’re Boston, you’re not going to ask for a Stephon Castle. You’re not going to get a Stephon Castle in a potential Jaylen Brown deal,” Mannix added. “You would get the No. 2 pick back in return. You would get the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That’s something I’d watch if and when the Giannis Antetokounmpo stuff shakes itself out over the next few weeks.”) special. “Sure, I think they love to make a run at Giannis [Antetokounmpo], but do the Bucks ask for Stephon Castle? Like, is that on their wish list? And if it is, I can’t see San Antonio doing a deal like that.
Jaylen Brown contract: Five years, $285.3 million
“… I think if you’re Boston, you’re not going to ask for a Stephon Castle. You’re not going to get a Stephon Castle in a potential Jaylen Brown deal. You would get the No. 2 pick back in return,” he added. “You would get the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That’s something I’d watch if and when the Giannis Antetokounmpo stuff shakes itself out over the next few weeks.”
Jayson Tatum is likely to miss almost all of next season after suffering a ruptured Achilles last month. So the Celtics may decide to punt on next season and start to think long-term again by acquiring a bunch of draft capital. And also regain some cap flexibility by taking Brown’s money off their books.
What is also interesting is that there haven’t been many reports claiming Brown is an untouchable member of the core. Instead, the trade speculation continues to grow each week.
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