Brad Stevens may be leaving the door open for a potential Jaylen Brown trade.
With Brown’s future murky after he was included the Celtics’ offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, remained uncertain about what’s to come for Brown.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens told reporters Tuesday night. “I don’t want to predict the future. I look at it as this is our team.”
Brown, who’s been with the Celtics since 2016, was reported to be the centerpiece of the team’s plan to acquire Antetokounmpo, with mock trades having him go to the Bucks along with two first-round picks.
Stevens declined to say how close the team was to trading for Antetokounmpo before he went to the Heat, but his comments don’t guarantee Brown will remain a Celtic long-term.
The Celtics president was also asked if he believes the trade rumors are impacting the franchise’s relationship with Brown, but declined to fully answer while noting that it’s hard to be in Brown’s position.
“You would have to ask him,” Stevens said. “I mean, it’s not fun, and I’m empathetic towards that. It’s not fun to be through that, and at the same time, I think my job is to be as candid and upfront as possible…”
“As you know, we try to keep things as close to the vest and quiet as possible, and at the same time, knowing that the rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there, that’s why you meet and be upfront as possible.”
Brown previously called last season his “favorite year of my basketball career,” which could be because he was the Celtics’ No. 1 option for most of the season until Jayson Tatum returned from injury.
Brown has three years left on his five-year contract, and has been an instrumental part of the Celtics’ success over the last decade.
The 29-year-old has earned five All-Star selections with the Celtics, made the playoffs every year and has averaged over 20 points per game every year since 2019-20.
Brown also won Finals MVP when the Celtics won their last title in 2024, and leads the NBA with 83 postseason wins since making his playoff debut in 2017.
