The Jaylen Brown trade rumors keep comin’ and they don’t stop comin’.
After weeks of speculation about whether the Celtics could explore a major roster shakeup this offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly emerged as one of the teams with interest in Brown.
“The Pelicans have been mentioned by various league executives with Jaylen Brown interest, as well,” NBA insider Jake Fischer said while speaking on Bleacher Report’s live show.
Fischer also cautioned that interest does not mean Boston
is preparing to move one of its franchise pillars.
“We don’t know if Boston is even going to fully entertain this at the end of the day,” Fischer said. “But that doesn’t mean these teams aren’t going to call and try.”
According to reports, the Rockets, Hawks, and Trail Blazers have also been linked to Brown. Of course, none of this means a deal is close. It does not even mean Brad Stevens is shopping Brown. But it does show that if Boston ever did open the door, there would be no shortage of teams trying to wedge a foot into the frame and present their best package.
For New Orleans, the motivation is easy enough to understand. Brown would give the Pelicans a proven star wing still in his prime, someone who could immediately raise the team’s ceiling and set a defensive tone under new head coach Jamahl Mosley. He is a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, NBA champion and Finals MVP. Those players do not become available often, which is why teams are apparently circling even before there is any clear sign Boston is ready to listen.
The harder question, and the only one that really matters, is what the Pelicans could actually offer and whether that’s enough for Brad Stevens.
Trey Murphy III would almost certainly need to be part of any serious player package. Murphy is younger than Brown, a high-level shooter and the kind of big wing every team desires. Dejounte Murray could also help match salary and give Boston another ball handler, though his fit would be questionable alongside Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Celtics roster.
Another possible framework could center around Murphy, Murray and significant draft capital. NBA insider Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson reported that a potential New Orleans offer could be built around those pieces, which makes sense as a starting point if the Pelicans want to avoid including Zion Williamson.
But in terms of allure, Zion is perhaps the most fascinating name, and certainly the scariest one.
According to Robinson, the Pelicans would prefer to keep Williamson, but may not view him as completely untouchable if a major deal for a player of Brown’s caliber required a larger franchise pivot. One potential alternate construction could involve Zion, Herb Jones and significant draft capital. That package would give Boston more rim pressure and defensive toughness, but it would also ask the Celtics to take on all the uncertainty that has followed Williamson’s career: availability, conditioning, fit and whether his best-case version can be counted on through a long playoff run.
That is a lot of risk when the outgoing player is Jaylen Brown.
The crown jewel in any Pelicans package may not be one of the names on the roster. It could be the 2027 first-round asset. New Orleans’ future draft situation is complicated by swaps and obligations, but the appeal is obvious. If Boston were to move Brown without getting a clean star-for-star replacement, the Celtics would need draft capital that could either become a premium pick or help fuel the next move.
That is where this rumor becomes more interesting than a simple “Team X wants star player” headline.
A Brown-to-New-Orleans deal would probably make more sense if it were part of a larger chain of moves. The Celtics are not in a position where depth for depth’s sake should be the goal. They already have plenty of players who can make a case for minutes. Their bigger need is turning good pieces into fewer, better-fitting pieces around Jayson Tatum and whoever remains in the core.
That is why any Pelicans package would need to be judged less by the names alone and more by what it allows Boston to do next. Murphy would help replace some wing scoring and shooting. Murray would give Boston a mid-sized contract and another creator. Zion would offer the rim pressure Stevens has openly said the Celtics need, but with far more volatility. The 2027 first-round asset could be the real swing piece, especially if Boston is trying to build enough ammunition for another major move.
Still, there is a long way from “interest” to an actual Jaylen Brown trade.
Brown is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He helped carry Boston to 56 wins in a season that began with lowered expectations because of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles recovery. He remains one of the faces of the franchise and one of the few players on the roster who has already proven he can be a top option deep into the playoffs.
So yes, the Pelicans may be interested. I’m sure most teams would be interested in having a player like Brown on their roster.
But if New Orleans wants Boston to even think about picking up the phone, the conversation probably starts with Murphy, real salary, and the best draft capital the Pelicans can put on the table. If Zion is involved, the upside grows, but so does the risk.
Anything less feels more like an early-summer rumor than a serious Jaylen Brown conversation.
