The Portland Trail Blazers were among three teams named by NBA insider Marc Stein believed to have interest in Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown. Stein also adds that the idea of landing in Boston is intriguing to Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo. This latest trade rumor could be the foundation of a multi-team trade should the Celtics win the Giannis sweepstakes this summer.
Here's what a potential deal could entail, as recently proposed by NBA analyst Jake Weinbach on X:
- Celtics receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Trail Blazers receive: Jaylen Brown, AJ Green
- Bucks receive: Jerami Grant, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, No. 27 overall pick (via BOS), 2027 first-round pick (via BOS), 2027 first-round pick (via POR), 2028 first-round pick (via ORL from POR), 2029 first-round pick (via POR/BOS/MIL), 2030 first-round swap back (from POR)
Blazers land Jaylen Brown in 3-team trade idea
The Blazers have also expressed interest in acquiring Giannis directly. However, they face an uphill battle to convince him to stay in Portland. They would run the risk of a one-year rental, making Brown, under contract through 2028-29, a more realistic star trade target. Portland can facilitate the trade by sending Milwaukee its draft capital back while still coming away with a star of its own.
Jerami Grant is owed $34.2 million next season, presenting Portland with an opportunity to finally offload its overpaid veteran forward as the salary filler in this scenario.
Ultimately, this trade materializing depends on two factors:
Is Brad Stevens willing to part ways with an All-NBA Second Team player in Brown to take more risk in Giannis?
And from Portland's standpoint, is this worth breaking up the up-and-coming backcourt duo of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe?
Blazers face tough backcourt decisions this summer
The Blazers are running a two-timeline approach and could feel a sense of urgency to accelerate their rebuilding timeline to better align with the closing windows of Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. Henderson and Sharpe have high upside, but the former struggles mightily with consistency, while question marks surround the latter's two-way impact.
It's genuinely hard to tell whether either is going to put it all together to become key pieces on a contender at any point in their respective careers. But from Milwaukee's standpoint, that's the exact type of high-upside worth betting on to kickstart a rebuild.
Each team can help the other reach its respective goals this summer. Boston is looking to contend, Portland is taking yet another leap toward a deep playoff run, and Milwaukee is getting the young assets and draft capital it's seeking in any potential Giannis deal. Not to mention, the Blazers front office already has a history of trading with these two teams, establishing a sense of familiarity and comfort that could be more important than some may think.
Could the Blazers contend with Jaylen Brown?
This would be quite the aggressive splash in Tom Dundon's first summer as owner. The Blazers would seriously have to consider whether it's worth sacrificing the future for a move that still doesn't put them in that top tier of Western Conference juggernauts.
"I'm probably more aggressive than most," Dundon said at his introductory press conference. "If it doesn't exist, then you've got to go about finding the pieces to continue to get better, and then decide if you can do good enough to win a championship or you have to take a step back.... There's no one way this is going to go for sure."
Portland will have to evaluate its championship chances with Brown in the picture. A potential starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan has a good mix of everything on paper.
Avdija led the Blazers to their first playoff appearance in five years, but their lack of star power was still an issue in their series against the San Antonio Spurs. Brown, a Finals MVP, would help close that gap, giving Avdija a legitimate co-star.
Portland would likely finish in the 3-6 seed range with this starting lineup, a tier below the Thunder and Spurs. Whether that's good enough to contend is for Portland's front office to decide. It could ultimately come down to how much they value Henderson or Sharpe, whose long-term fits with this two-timeline roster remain uncertain.
Add us as a preferred source on Google