NBA Insider Updates Utah Jazz, Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors

Heading into this year's draft, the Utah Jazz saw themselves linked to some wild trade buzz with the Boston Celtics and star Jaylen Brown, as rumors connected the Jazz as "aggressively" pursuing the 2024 Finals MVP.

Ultimately, it was an idea that was quickly shot down by Jazz president Austin Ainge following Wednesday's first round of the draft, as he noted Utah and Boston have had "no conversations that way" regarding a trade for Brown. And thus, the chatter was quieted down.

However, a new report from ClutchPoints' insider Brett Siegel seems to hint that the Jazz actually have made a pursuit for Brown in recent days, despite Ainge's comments claiming otherwise.

"Despite Austin Ainge shooting down all speculation of the Jazz pursuing Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown, claiming there was 'no truth to them,' multiple rival team sources have stated the opposite," Siegel wrote. "The Jazz did, in fact, speak with the Celtics about the possibility of pursuing Brown and made an aggressive push for the 2024 Finals MVP, which Boston wasn't entertaining, league sources said."

Mar 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Jazz, who have largely been discussed as a team to watch throughout this offseason, may have been a bit more active on the phones leading up to the draft than we were led to believe, perhaps with an interest in the Celtics' star wing if the opportunity presented itself.

Since accepting the job as president of basketball ops, Ainge has been adamant about the Jazz being more competitive than we saw last season's 17-win campaign, and a move to acquire Brown would certainly do just that. Yet, it seems like from the Celtics perspective, there's not enough incentive to make a move to ship off their four-time All-Star.

During his last season in Boston, Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 46.3% shooting from the field and 32.4% from three in 63 games played, all in what was his ninth-career season spent with the Celtics as a cornerstone of their eight playoff appearances since he was drafted in 2016.

Mar 10, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball while Utah Jazz guard Johnny Juzang (33) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

While Tatum may be out of the fold for the Celtics next season, and a ton of roster turnover has taken place as is, that doesn't mean Boston is eager to move off of Brown if they don't have to. Maybe if the Jazz brass offers a blockbuster package Brad Stevens can't turn down, then the landscape can shift, but at this point, it clearly hasn't happened.

Regardless, expect the Jazz to continue to be aggressive behind the scenes this summer in an effort to improve the roster ahead of their 2025-26 campaign.

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