The potential departures of Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown have forced the Boston Celtics to change their mindset heading into the NBA offseason.
With three first-round picks heading into Thursday’s draft, Boston likely will be active in the trade market in some way, shape or form. Some teams near the top of the draft order are asking about Jaylen Brown’s availability, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
At 23, Brown has a ton of value, and it’d likely take a major haul for the Celtics to give him up.
The New Orleans Pelicans currently hold the No. 1 and 4 overall picks. On Monday, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported Boston was interested in moving up to select Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland. That No. 4 selection would be the perfect spot for the Celtics to slide into if they are in fact interested in Garland. Brown’s name previously was mentioned in Anthony Davis trade talks with New Orleans, so it would make sense if the Pelicans were one of said teams inquiring about the 23-year-old wing.
Whether or not the Celtics would be willing to give up the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick remains to be seen, but you’d have to think it would come up in trade talks, especially if Boston wants to hold onto Brown.
