The Boston Celtics took a risk in joining the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, as the rumor mill leaked that Jaylen Brown was the man the Celtics put on the table in trade talks with the Milwaukee Bucks for the two-time MVP. In the end, the Celtics lost out on Antetokounmpo, with the Miami Heat putting together the best offer on the table — leaving the status of Brown in Beantown in limbo.
Trade rumors are a part of the job in the NBA, so it’s not like the Celtics had a personal vendetta against Brown which led to his involvement in Antetokounmpo talks.
It will be a bit worrying for Celtics fans to hear president Brad Stevens beat around the bush when responding to a question regarding Brown’s desire to stay in Boston despite his involvement in trade rumors.
“I’ll always keep our conversations private,” Stevens said, via Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog. “I don’t love the fact anytime it’s a big public thing, As you know, we try to keep things as close to the vest and quiet as possible… There’s going to be a lot of noise out there, that’s why you meet and be upfront as possible.”
“I can’t say enough good things about Jaylen… but I certainly am empathetic towards probably what that’s felt like.”
Asked Brad Stevens about whether he still gets the sense that Jaylen Brown wants to be in Boston from their conversations:
“I’ll always keep our conversations private… I think it's appropriate, regardless of what the content of those conversations are like, but I think what I… pic.twitter.com/khcjOmK1eS
— Noa Dalzell
(@NoaDalzell) June 24, 2026
Trade talks going public runs the risk of ruining the team’s relationship with the player, especially if the deal falls through, and this is the situation Boston is now facing with Brown, the man who kept the team afloat this past season amid Jayson Tatum’s injury.
Stevens did not outright say that Brown still wants to be on the team, but that is him perhaps just keeping his cards close to the chest. Nonetheless, the Celtics have some housekeeping to do as they try to redeem themselves from an embarrassing first-round exit in this year’s playoffs.
The post Brad Stevens delivers cryptic statement on Jaylen Brown’s Celtics future appeared first on ClutchPoints.
