The Boston Celtics were one of the five teams NBA insider Jake Fischer named as unlikely to be involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets. That impacts the Portland Trail Blazers' offseason plans, as they are interested in acquiring Jaylen Brown.
The idea of Brown coming to Portland, Giannis heading to Boston, and Milwaukee receiving its draft picks back from Portland now seems off the table. However, that doesn't mean that the Blazers are out of the running for Brown.
On his podcast, Bill Simmons shared Fischer's belief that the Celtics won't trade for Giannis, but noted that there's still a chance Boston trades Brown for a different package.
"If the Celtics trade Jaylen, I don't think it's going to be for Giannis," Simmons said. "I think it's going to be a trade like, multiple pieces, more flexibility, guys that would lead to one extra move after this."
Blazers can still trade Celtics directly for Jaylen Brown
The Blazers and Celtics are seemingly in exact opposite positions in the Giannis summer sweepstakes. Portland is interested in Giannis, but the challenge is getting him to commit to staying here long term. Meanwhile, Giannis is interested in Boston, but the feeling isn't mutual from the Celtics' end. Because neither team is a perfect fit, it could make sense to simply cut the Bucks out entirely.
If the Celtics are truly looking for multiple pieces and the added flexibility Simmons mentioned, the Blazers can offer an enticing enough package for Brown. They have been patiently stockpiling assets throughout their rebuild for a trade like this, and could finally pull the trigger under new owner Tom Dundon. A combination of draft picks, a salary filler like Jerami Grant, and young assets like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and/or Toumani Camara would certainly give Brad Stevens more flexibility.
Ideally, our preference would be to keep Camara over Henderson and Sharpe as he's the perfect complementary two-way piece as an elite role player. If the Blazers aren't convinced that Henderson is a long-term part of their core, it could make sense to ship him before his contract expires after next season. Losing Sharpe could backfire if he reaches his star ceiling, but there are serious questions regarding his future in Portland after surprisingly falling out of Tiago Splitter's playoff rotation.
Ultimately, Portland's front office has to determine whether it's worth sacrificing a significant portion of its future for Brown. Could they contend with a starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan? That would likely place them just a tier below the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. Brown's two-way skill set and floor spacing fit this roster well, but deciding whether he's the right star to go all-in for is a difficult question above our pay grade.
Regardless, it's encouraging that the Blazers seem to have another route to pursue Brown, as the Celtics' reported disinterest in Antetokounmpo previously made that path far less certain.
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