Jaylen Brown’s name once again popped up in trade rumors for Kevin Durant prior to the trade deadline, most notably when Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN that the Celtics were “making some calls” to Brooklyn and to “keep an eye on” Brown.
Of course, the Nets ultimately traded Durant to the Phoenix Suns instead and Brown, who could return from a facial fracture for this weekend’s All-Star Game, remains a Celtic.
Brown acknowledged in a recent interview with SLAM that he’s been “tested mentally” over the past year, and it’s fair to wonder if another round of trade rumors may have tested him even more.
Brown’s longer-term future in Boston also remains a question given that his contract expires after the 2023-24 season. It doesn’t make sense financially for Brown to sign an extension now, but it could if he makes an All-NBA Team this season since that would allow him to sign for a lot more money.
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show on Friday, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck was asked by Chris Curtis what the organization’s relationship with Brown is like after the most recent rumors.
“Oh no. That’s not… first off, we don’t talk about private stuff -- sorry -- on the air, contracts or anything like that. But what happens in the league is that agents leak names or not even -- people on other teams,” Grousbeck said, denying that the Celtics were behind any leaks.
“I mean, Brad’s probably on the phone with every team, definitely every week during the season, just saying, ‘Who do you like? Who’s playing well? Who do you like on our roster?’ And he files it away in like his mental database. That’s just that. They talk all the time about everything. That doesn’t mean a trade is proposed. Jaylen’s not going anywhere, and he knew that before the trading deadline because I told him personally.”
We don’t know how long before the deadline Grousbeck told Brown that, but nonetheless it was probably encouraging for Brown to hear from him directly and not just have the rumors go unaddressed. Obviously Brown is a crucial part of what the Celtics are doing now and in the future, so making sure that relationship stays on solid ground and doesn’t sour is crucial.
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