According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, it could be an idea for the Cleveland Cavaliers to explore.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a season in which they lost to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
As a result of that finish, the Cavaliers must feel they are close to knocking down the door, and they also should have urgency to actually do it in 2026-27.
With that in mind, could the Boston Celtics serve as a trade partner for the Cavaliers this summer?
ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst made an interesting speculative comment on Tuesday, suggesting that maybe the Cavaliers could trade for Jaylen Brown, and then could entice LeBron James to make a return trip to Cleveland for the third time in his career. The Cavs also currently have James Harden in their plans, as well as Donovan Mitchell, so it's unclear who they'd have to ship to Boston in this hypothetical deal.
Do the Celtics have to trade Brown?
They do not have to. They are absolutely capable of sticking it out with Brown and Jayson Tatum at the center of the roster for a 10th season. The duo won a title in 2023-24 and went to another NBA Finals in 2021-22.
However, there's a question of whether or not Brown will be happy in Boston given his current situation. And if he's not, how will that impact the locker room chemistry?
What if Brown stays?
Then the Celtics find themselves in the same situation they were in a year ago: As a perimeter-oriented team searching for answers on the interior. Perhaps those interior answers will come from a rookie like Chris Cenac Jr., but it could also come from further development from Neemias Queta, who the Celtics just picked up an option for on Monday.
What if they trade Brown to Cleveland?
Then perhaps the Celtics could get their big man answer in the form of Evan Mobley who is under contract for four more years. He's going to make more than $200 million in that time, but he's only 25 years old and is coming off a season in which he averaged 18.2 ppg and nine rebounds. Then, of course, the Cavs would have questions on the interior.
For what it's worth, the trade would work from a financial standpoint for both teams.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball while Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesAlso in the news for the Celtics
The Celtics will begin their NBA Summer League schedule on July 10. Boston will play the Toronto Raptors on that date before facing the Charlotte Hornets on July 12, the Atlanta Hawks on July 13 and the Sacramento Kings on July 15. Games will split broadcast networks between ESPN, ESPN2 and Amazon Prime.
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