Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors: Spurs A Team To Watch

Boston Celtics star guard Jaylen Brown is now reportedly being linked to the San Antonio Spurs. The four-time All-Star and 2024 NBA Finals MVP had already been connected to the Milwaukee Bucks via trade rumors.

Jaylen Brown To San Antonio More Realistic Than Milwaukee

Sending Brown to Milwaukee in exchange for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a popular trade proposal, but a young Spurs team appears to be a more realistic trade partner.

“The team I’d watch the closest with Jaylen Brown is probably the Spurs,” Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’season special.

“Sure, I think [the Spurs would] love to make a run at Giannis, but do the Bucks ask for Stephon Castle? Like, is that on their wish list? And if it is, I can’t see San Antonio doing a deal like that.

“One of the concerns people in San Antonio told me about is, you go and deal for a guy like Giannis, all of a sudden you’ve created a championship window, but it is a window with a closing date.”

Spurs Have $143 Million In Salary This Offseason

The Spurs sent four first-rounders to acquire De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline but still have plenty of draft capital to keep or use in a trade, including the No. 2 pick to add to the roster, as well as the Atlanta Hawks‘ first-round pick.

San Antonio also has the right to swap firsts with Atlanta in 2026 and the Hawks’ unprotected first in 2027. In total, they have six firsts in the next eight years, several years of pick swaps, and 17 second-round picks.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Spurs also have $143 million in salary and are over the cap when factoring in both first-round picks. San Antonio has access to its $14.1 million non-tax and $5.1 million biannual exceptions as well. It should be noted that Fox is eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million maximum deal on Aug. 3.

“You’ve got De’Aaron Fox, who’s in his late 20s, Giannis in his early 30s, and the last thing they want is to have a roster after those guys kind of age out where when [Victor] Wembanyama is maybe looking around going, ‘All right, where are the young guys I’m going to play with after that?’ Mannix added.

“It certainly is a problem for another day, but that’s on the mind of the San Antonio Spurs. That’s why they want to hold on to Stephon Castle, so he can be that second guy opposite Wembanyama for a long time, assuming they trade that No. 2 pick.”

Celtics Could Receive No. 2 Overall Pick In 2025 NBA Draft

So why would the Celtics be a more ideal trade partner for the Spurs over the Bucks? Well, Boston wouldn’t ask for a player like Castle in return. Instead, the deal would include the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, which could be Rutgers standout guard Dylan Harper.

“I think if you’re Boston, you’re not going to ask for a Stephon Castle. You’re not going to get a Stephon Castle in a potential Jaylen Brown deal,” Mannix said.

“You would get the No. 2 pick back in return. You would get the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That’s something I’d watch if and when the Giannis Antetokounmpo stuff shakes itself out over the next few weeks.”

NBA insiders are expecting quite a busy offseason for the Celtics and a shaky one for president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. Even if Brown stays put, Stevens could potentially end up trading other key contributors this summer like Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Holiday.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in Holiday.