Jaylen Brown Trade Rumor Roundup: Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, & More

The Boston Celtics will need to make some decisions about Brown pretty soon. Here's a look at the current rumors and where things seem to be headed

Dec 27, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after stealing the ball and making the basket against the Indiana Pacers in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The noise around Jaylen Brown being traded by the Boston Celtics is so loud that people who live next to data centers are complaining about it. There are rumors and speculation everywhere you turn, so here’s a look at some of the biggest ones floating around right now. 

Portland Trail Blazers 

Michael Scotto, HoopsHype: “Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija was not on the table in trade talks for Antetokounmpo, and he remains off the table in Brown discussions as of now, league sources told HoopsHype. Portland’s other young players, such as Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, are considered available. With Boston considering center upgrades and needing to replace Brown’s position if he’s traded, Portland’s Donovan Clingan and 2025 All-Defensive forward Toumani Camara would both be coveted by Boston. However, neither has been put on the table at this time.” 

Marc Stein, The Stein Line: “The Blazers have been known to covet Brown dating back to Damian Lillard's first tenure with the franchise. And they still do, We've been reporting for some time that Portland was hoping to use Jerami Grant’s $34.2 million salary and first-round draft capital to try to get into the trade mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo … while also preparing to shift to pursuing Washington's Anthony Davis if the 10-time former All-Star big man and the Wizards can't come to an agreement on a contract extension when Davis becomes eligible for a new deal in August. But Brown undeniably ranks as another All-NBA talent who entices them.”

Sam Amick, The Athletic: “The Celtics, per league sources, have been asking for up to four first-round picks; Portland is seen as the front-runner there.”

Karalis’ Analysis: I fear this is the best kind of trade the Celtics can get for Brown at this point, so if they absolutely have to trade him, then I can see why Portland is in the lead. 

Personally, I’d push for Toumani Camara in the deal. I’d dial back on the picks if it meant getting Camara. He’s a 6-7 two-way forward, so it can be argued to the Blazers that they're trading for future Camara in Brown, and a win-now move will cost them more than draft capital and a salary they want to dump. 

I know people want Clingan because he helps center rotation, but I’m happy to go in a different direction there. Camara can grow into Brown’s role and thrive in it next to Jayson Tatum. They’ll try to flip Grant at some point to get their big, and they’ll likely create a massive Traded Player Exception to help them get someone to truly replace Brown at some point, either by the trade deadline or next summer. 

If it doesn’t sound all that appetizing, it’s because it’s not. But if the Celtics have crossed the rubicon with Brown, then Portland will likely be the best mix of what Boston is looking for in the short term, while also giving them tools to accomplish something more long term as well. 

The Field

Scotto: “Brown has drawn trade interest from various teams across the league, including the Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told HoopsHype.”

Karalis’ Analysis: Names like Cam Johnson and Aaron Gordon from Denver have been thrown around. Bill Simmons speculated about a potential trade that could work for both sides: Johnson and Jamal Murray for Brown and Sam Hauser. 

Bill Simmons' Nuggets-Celtics trade proposal 👀

Jamal Murray + Cam Johnson for Jaylen Brown + Sam Hauser

"There's a lot of smoke billowing around Denver in general. Some I believe some I don't believe." pic.twitter.com/5NgD2feAwR

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) June 29, 2026

I don’t think the Nuggets would go that far, but as Simmons noted, it saves them some money, which is something the Nuggets are always looking to do. The Celtics could then try to flip Johnson, who is drawing some interest around the league, to save some money themselves. 

Murray would probably be the best player they could get in return, and he’s a bona fide playoff performer. I doubt this would happen, but nothing would surprise me at this moment. 

As for the other teams, it looks like the Raptors are in talks with the Clippers in a Kawhi Leonard-centered deal, so that might eliminate them from a Brown pursuit. 

There's no real smoke with the Brooklyn Nets or Atlanta Hawks right now, but that doesn't actually eliminate them from the conversation. The teams who operate quietest in these situations often end up making the most progress. The Hawks are particularly interesting because they are Brown’s hometown team, and because they have some talented young players and a bunch of tradeable first-rounders that could fall into the juiciest range of the new lottery system’s odds. 

Brooklyn has the picks Boston would want and the players to make salaries work, but I’m not sure Michael Porter Jr. fits the mold of non-controversial players Boston prefers to have on their roster. 

The Hornets have a pending trade with Minnesota that Boston can try to morph into a three-team deal, but that's complicated. There's no indication that Boston is trying to do that, either. 

Free agency is about to begin, so if a deal is going to be done … or not done … That decision has to be made soon. There's an outside chance Brown can return to Boston, but that seems to be slipping away.