Will the Boston Celtics ever escape Jaylen Brown mock trades?
Celtics observers have been subjected to countless JB trade ideas through the years to a numbing degree. The latest proposal comes from Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, who envisioned Boston handing Brown over to the Detroit Pistons.
“Detroit Pistons acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Ron Holland II, Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris and a 2027 first-round pick (protected 1-4),” Hughes wrote, before attempting to validate the trade for both teams.
“The Celtics get $7.7 million in 2025-26 salary savings—not enough to get them out of the tax this season, but every little bit helps,” Hughes continued. “When Harris’ $26.6 million comes off the books after the season, Boston will be free and clear. Meanwhile, the Pistons add Brown to a core of Cunningham, Thompson and Jalen Duren. That group should be able to better last season’s No. 6 seed in the East while moving up Detroit’s timeline a bit. With Cunningham already an All-NBA player, the time to add high-end (and high-cost) talent is now.”
Hughes then tried to pump up the value of Detroit’s imagined offer by reminding readers that Holland excelled during three summer league games recently.
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“Summer league showings warrant skepticism, but Ron Holland II’s effort in Vegas featured offensive flourishes that suggest the incoming sophomore might be closer to stardom than he appeared as a rookie, when he brought relentless defensive intensity but struggled to make a positive impact on the other end,” Hughes wrote.
Holland’s hot summer league (21.7 points per game over three contests) is exciting for the Pistons, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hughes’ trade package here would be a wholly unacceptable return for Brown in the eyes of the Celtics front office.
It’s not that Brown is 100 percent untouchable. ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed this year that the Celtics reportedly offered Brown and Derrick White to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 for Kevin Durant. Had that deal gone through, Boston would be in a worse position today, although a Durant-Jayson Tatum core may have netted the Celtics a title (or more) over the last three seasons.
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But Boston did win a title! Without Durant, and with Brown and White as core pieces! The 2024 campaign, which culminated in a Finals MVP for Brown, has only caused Celtics leadership — led by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens — to lean into “The Jays” as a viable championship duo moving forward.
Brown is not a perfect player by any means. Despite the 2024 coronation, even staunch Celtics supporters still hesitate to laud him at times.
At this point, however, if the Celtics were ever to move Brown, it would only be for a haul that makes Hughes’ Pistons package look insulting.
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