The Hawks Could Offer One Thing That No Other Team Can In A Potential Jaylen Brown Trade

As his hometown team, Brown might prefer to play for the Hawks over other potential teams

Jan 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) attempts a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Whenever Celtics star Jaylen Brown gets mentioned as a trade candidate this summer, there are a few teams that come up each time and one of them stands out more than the other.

That would be Brown's hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks.

While this summer has been the most prominent that Brown's name has been in trade rumors, despite Brown not requesting a trade or the Celtics actively shopping him around in trade discussions, there have always been connections to the Hawks. Brown is from Marietta, GA, and played at Wheeler High School.

Brown has even openly talked about the possibility that he could come back and play for his hometown:

Jaylen Brown discusses the possibility of playing for the Atlanta Hawks in the future 👀@BigTiggerShow pic.twitter.com/N4vs46vecQ

— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) September 10, 2025

Putting aside what the Celtics want to do and what the Hawks might actually do, would the Hawks be Brown's preferred destination if he is traded?

I think the answer might be yes.

Hometown Hero

Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Getting to play for your home state and your home city is a special thing and something that is not seen all that often. Of course, you have the LeBron James success story in Cleveland, where James finally brought an NBA Championship to the franchise, their only one in existence.

The Hawks have not won a championship since moving to Atlanta, and in fact, they have never even appeared in the NBA Finals. Atlanta has made two conference finals appearances (2015 and 2021), but has never gotten to play on basketball's biggest stage.

The other teams that have been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown this summer have been the Blazers, Rockets, and Pelicans, but NBA insider Jake Fischer dropped an interesting note in his latest insider notebook that the Hawks have actually been on Brown's radar in the past:

"Atlanta is Jaylen Brown's hometown and I think that is a spot that he would potentially have an interest in going to. The Hawks do not want to be in the Giannis trade sweepstakes by various accounts. They view Jalen Johnson as their kind of frontcourt ballhandler downhill force. Would Jaylen Brown be someone they are willing to send out a younger piece and a draft pick to acquire, that would be interesting to men and I do believe that the Hawks have been on his radar in the past."

It is also interesting that Fischer mentioned the potential parameters of a trade and that it would be "a young player and a pick or two."

It makes sense why Brown would want to play for the Hawks, as he would be beloved by the city that he grew up in, and there have never been major stars in the league who have willingly wanted to go and play for the Hawks. That is where Brown would be different, and he would be appreciated by the fans for that.

But that does not mean that a deal is going to come together.

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and while the Hawks are mentioned as a team that could be interested in Brown, we don't know that they are interested and if they are, what lengths they are willing to go to be able to trade for him.

Onsi Saleh showed in his first full season at the helm of the Hawks front office that he is going to be looking for opportunistic deals (Kristaps Porzingis trade) to make the team better, but I don't think he is ready to make a major "all-in" type of move and gut the asset collection that the Hawks have build up. Brown is nearing 30, and his contract is going to be $57 million next season and then past $60 million after that. That is a steep price to pay a player and that kind of salary is usually reserved for top five or ten players in the league, which I don't think Brown is.

The hometown factor and past reports suggest that Brown would be very open to being traded to Atlanta, and that could give the Hawks an edge over other teams in the potential sweepstakes if the Celtics decide to move him (reminder: they don't have to trade him). The summer is going to be full of twists and turns, and you can bet that the Hawks are going to be mentioned as a team for Brown until there is a resolution and we know where he is play next season.