Celtics 'soliciting offers' from 8-10 teams for Jaylen Brown as major trade talks heat up

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Celtics 'soliciting offers' from 8-10 teams for Jaylen Brown as major trade talks heat up image

May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) on the court before game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics back in 2024, but just two years later, Boston is actively trying to trade him. The whole thing started after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead in the Conference Finals. This offseason, they tried to flip Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Milwaukee Bucks turned them down to take the Miami Heat's deal instead.

Missing out on Antetokounmpo didn't slow Boston down. It actually sped things up for them. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on "First Take" that the Celtics are looking way past Milwaukee now. They’ve spent the last few days aggressively shopping Brown and talking to about eight or ten different teams.

He said, "The Celtics have actually started strongly shopping Jaylen Brown, soliciting offers from a market of about eight to 10 teams in the last several days. It's unclear whether a deal is close or where they necessarily stand. But there's been a high-priced threshold the Celtics have set from the outset of any type of Jaylen Brown trade."

.@ShamsCharania says the Celtics have been "soliciting offers from a market of about 8-10 teams" for Jaylen Brown 👀 pic.twitter.com/NUZpy9u7M2

— First Take (@FirstTake) July 1, 2026

But they are asking for a massive haul: at least four first-round picks. Brown is locked into a supermax extension through 2029 with a $57 million cap hit next season, so the front office isn't going to give him away for cheap.

Charania was clear on one point: this is a front-office decision, not a player request. "My understanding is Jaylen Brown has not requested a trade," he said. "This is not something that he has advocated for."

Currently, the trade market has been a lot messier than Boston hoped. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that league-wide interest is nowhere near what the Celtics expected. Portland Blazers, once seen as a front-runner, moved in a different direction after trading for Ja Morant.

The Toronto Raptors are also out of the running after pulling off a deal for Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers, Nuggets, and Cavaliers are still checking in, with Cleveland’s potential offer centering on Evan Mobley to match the salary.

Meanwhile, Brown is coming off the absolute best season of his career. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, earning All-NBA Second Team honors and a sixth-place finish in MVP voting. That elite production is exactly why Boston refuses to lower its steep asking price, even if the market has been slow to move.

For now, Brown is still a Celtic, but with the front office actively trying to move him without a clear deal in place, this will be an exciting story to watch all summer.