Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said All-Star Jaylen Brown remains “a big part of us” following a failed attempt to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Multiple outlets reported that Boston offered Brown as part of a trade package to the Milwaukee Bucks, who instead dealt the two-time MVP to the Miami Heat.
Stevens spoke to reporters at the NBA Draft on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, although he did not specifically address the proposal to send Brown with two first-round picks to Milwaukee.
Brown, 29, was Boston’s first-round pick (third overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft. The five-time All-Star guard averaged a career-high 28.7 points last season as the Celtics finished 56-26 despite playing most of the season without fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said, per ESPN. “I’m never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around.”
Stevens said he has remained in contact with Brown and his agent throughout the offseason.
“With all the rumor mill and all that stuff, and his name being splashed all over the place, that’s not easy,” Stevens said. “We certainly wanted to be as proactive and up-front with that as possible. I thought we had really good, candid conversations. … I’ll always keep our conversations private. I think it’s appropriate regardless of what the content of those conversations is like.
“What I said is really true: I don’t love the fact any time it’s a big, public thing. We try to keep things as close to the vest and as quiet as possible. The rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there.”
Brown has three seasons remaining on a five-year, $285.4 million extension signed in 2023. He is eligible to sign a two-year, $141.9 million extension on July 26, according to ESPN.
