Best Jaylen Brown Trade Packages and Landing Spots for Boston Celtics Star

The Boston Celtics dangled Jaylen Brown in their offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Milwaukee Bucks didn't bite. That was the second time Boston made Brown available if you include the play it made for Kevin Durant a few years ago, and it sounds like it won't be the last.

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, "a bidding war for Jaylen Brown" could be in the works.

An All-NBA star coming off his best (and, controversially, "favorite" season), Brown is intrigued by the idea of leading his own team rather than sharing the spotlight with Jayson Tatum. If the Celtics' continued willingness to move him has frayed relations beyond the point of repair, Brown may get that chance sooner than later.

Let's lay out some potential landing spots for the NBA's newest available star.

Atlanta Hawks

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The Trade: Atlanta Hawks acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Corey Kispert and No. 23

Boston would certainly prefer Atlanta's No. 8 pick, and it may also want Zaccharie Risacher instead of Kispert. Those are relatively small, negotiable details in a deal that matters most because it give the Celtics a spacing center and a quality starting combo guard in NAW.

For Brown, a Georgia native, the Hawks would represent a homecoming opportunity. It's hard to say whether that would matter to him as much as the chance to lead a rising East team that faltered in the most recent playoffs precisely because it lacked a credible No. 1 option.

If A-list status is what Brown wants, he'd get it here as the leader of a group that would still include Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and the newly re-signed CJ McCollum. The departures of Okongwu and Alexander-Walker would leave holes in the first unit, but perhaps the Hawks could fill one with the No. 8 pick (if they can keep it out of the return package) and a mid-level exception signing.

Houston Rockets

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The Trade: Houston Rockets acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Alperen Sengün and Amen Thompson

Rockets fans probably want some draft compensation coming from the Celtics here, but this wouldn't be the first time in-house talent was overvalued.

The fact of the matter is that neither Sengün nor Thompson have proved themselves in the playoffs yet, and both come with big enough shooting questions to raise the possibility that they never will. Houston's offense simply wasn't good enough last season, and the return of Fred VanVleet won't change that by itself.

Brown would slot in next to Durant, FVV, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Steven Adams to make up a balanced and experienced core with enough shooting upside to be a dangerous postseason threat. KD would no longer be tasked with generating every late-game shot on his own, and the possible retention of restricted free agent Tari Eason could add the hustle and defensive oomph necessary to complement the stars.

Boston would get two young talents for one older one while also breaking up a massive salary into a pair of more manageable figures.

New Orleans Pelicans

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The Trade: New Orleans Pelicans acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones

This deal comes roughly $15 million short of meeting the salary-matching requirements, as the Pels are only sending out a total of $42 million and taking back Brown's $57 million salary for 2026-27.

New Orleans could involve a third team willing to take on Jordan Poole's expiring $34 million and/or combine the salaries of Jordan Hawkins and Kevon Looney ($8 million team option) to make up the difference. The thrust of the exchange is Murphy and Jones for Brown.

In New Orleans, Brown would find significantly lower chances of team success. Zion Williamson is still a big name, and he stayed relatively healthy last year. But he's in athletic decline, shows no signs of developing a jumper and needs the ball to be effective. This is admittedly a much better result for the Celtics, who get younger, cheaper and deeper on the wing. Murphy, in particular, is an ideal fit in Boston's three-heavy attack.

That said, Brown would take over control of a young group that has potential if Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears develop in their second seasons.

LA Clippers

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The Trade: LA Clippers acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Kawhi Leonard

Who doesn't love a challenge trade?

Leonard will enter the final year of his deal in 2026-27, which could appeal to a Celtics team that isn't keen on giving Brown (who's extension eligible!) $125 million over the final two seasons of his contract in 2027-28 and 2028-29.

Not only that, but Leonard was arguably the more productive player last season, despite Brown turning in a career year.

The Clippers' side of this is even more interesting. Brown would team with Darius Garland and the No. 5 pick to set up a younger core with a pretty solid runway over the next handful of seasons. Leonard's future remains clouded by the results of the Aspiration investigation, and there's certainly no guarantee the 34-year-old has any years ahead as good as the last one given his age and health history.

Brown would land in a major market with pretty firm status as his team's top threat. If recognition and an alpha role truly are among his top priorities, this landing spot situates him well.

Portland Trail Blazers

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The Trade: Portland Trail Blazers acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, 2028 first-round pick (via MIL) and 2028 first-round pick (via ORL)

The Blazers have to sweeten this deal with a pair of picks because Grant's salary is objectively a negative asset and Holiday's is trending that way. That said, everyone should be on board with Holiday coming back to Boston. If the Celtics aren't convinced that the positive vibes of bringing back a former champ matter that much, asking for a third pick or salary other than Grant would be reasonable.

Brown's fit next to Deni Avdija, who emerged as a first option last season, isn't as tricky as it seems. A solid enough off-ball shooter, Brown could provide spacing and second-side creation if Portland continues to run things through its breakout star.

More likely, new head coach Micah Nori would concoct an egalitarian attack that features Avdija, Brown and a healthy Damian Lillard. On paper, there's a lot to like there. And there's even more to say about Portland's upside with defensive studs in center Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara—not to mention developing youngsters like Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.

Quietly, Portland could become a sleeper threat to join the West's top tier with Brown in the fold.