Blazers Could Still Trade For Jaylen Brown After Giannis Antetokounmpo Saga

Jaylen Brown is still on the trading block after the Boston Celtics lost the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, and the Portland Trail Blazers are in the mix.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are still exploring the idea of trading for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown with free agency on the horizon.

Portland was among the teams listed as a possible Brown destination for a three-team deal involving the Milwaukee Bucks that would have sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Boston. The Bucks ultimately traded Giannis to the Miami Heat, along with Bobby Portis, for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and several future draft picks.

Why Blazers Could Still Make Jaylen Brown Trade

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown on the court before game seven of the first round. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Blazers have the assets needed to make a blockbuster trade this offseason. With the Bucks officially moving on from Antetokounmpo, the selections they have from the Damian Lillard trade back in 2023 give the team more value.

"Portland’s most desired draft assets are two future first-round Milwaukee Bucks swaps in 2028 and 2030. In 2029, the Blazers will also get the best and worst first-round pick between Boston, Milwaukee, and Portland. Furthermore, Portland has its own future firsts in 2031, 2032, and 2033, which can be dangled if needed," HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto wrote.

The Biggest Obstacle For a Deal

The Blazers also have several young players that could be of interest to the Celtics. However, they may not be who Portland is looking to move.

The Celtics want a big man, which would lead Donovan Clingan to be their preferential target in a deal. Toumani Camara could also be of interest to the Celtics. However, the Blazers are unlikely to include either or them, or Deni Avdija, in a prospective trade.

There is a good chance that the Celtics would want to reroute whatever players Portland would want to move on from in a deal to another team. In order for Brown to the Blazers to work, it will almost certainly have to include a third team.

That third team could have been the Bucks if they wanted to make a deal with the Celtics, but that wasn't the case. It's possible that teams like the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings, both of whom have centers that could be coveted and dealt in Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis, could be a third squad looking to make a move.

In this hypothetical deal, the Blazers get their man in Brown by sending Jerami Grant, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray, and three first-round picks to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics would reroute all of those players and one pick to Sacramento for Domantas Sabonis. In order for the trade to work financially, the Kings would also send DeMar DeRozan to Portland.

This deal would give the Blazers their top scorer in Brown and another strong playmaker in the second unit in DeRozan. The Blazers would likely start Damian Lillard with Brown, Avdija, Camara and Clingan. They would have Jrue Holiday, DeRozan and Sidy Cissoko as the primary players off the bench along with Yang Hansen. The Blazers could also have Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III if they re-signed them in free agency.

The Celtics would get their big man upgrade with Sabonis in the frontcourt, and that could help them get closer to competing with the top teams in the East, assuming the Lithuanian big man stays healthy.

As for the Kings, they get a chance to continue their rebuild, getting the opportunity to work with Henderson and Murray on the final year of their rookie contracts. Kris Murray would get a chance to play with his twin brother, Keegan, and Sharpe could become the leading scorer for the team. Grant could get a buyout or be the established veteran presence for the young Kings.