“If he’s (Jaylen Brown) in play, that’s someone I think San Antonio will look at and will go after,” Chris Mannix said during a segment of The Kevin O’Connor Show. Spurs or not, the fact that Brown himself is in the trade conversation now is an interesting update. Sure, the star small forward scared Celtics fans with his partially torn right meniscus. However, he still delivered efficiently during the Celtics’ recent season run and lived up to the 5-year, $285.4 million contract he currently holds. Therefore, the keyword in this speculative trade talk is, as Mannix highlighted, “IF”. Amidst this uncertainty, the Celtics might attempt to get a young face as a backup.

The Garden Report host Bobby Manning welcomed NBA reporter Matt Powers to discuss who the Celtics can pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. One name that came up in the conversation was that of Drake Powell. Manning noted that the UNC guard didn’t do anything great on the offensive front, but had a strong perimeter presence on defense. Powers agreed, calling him one of the best point of attack prospects in the class. The fact that Powell reportedly had the 6th-lowest usage rate in all of the NCAA was concerning. Nevertheless, the young star’s prowess on the defensive front can help fulfill a possible need for the 2024 NBA champions.

“I do think there’s room for specialists in the wing on this roster. They haven’t really had many of these guys. It’s been Tatum, Brown, Hauser. Hauser has come up defensively himself, but they really haven’t had a defensive specialist coming off the bench as a wing in quite a few years,” Matt Powers said on the podcast. “So, they can try to work with that offense. It’s tough. You don’t want to play guys who are going to get ignored. And that’s certainly in play for him here. But, if a 3 at the very least comes along, you can probably work with that. He doesn’t have to do a ton of stuff here.”

Along with being dominant on the offensive front, Jaylen Brown is also someone you can rely on to cover the other side of the court. He made significant strides as a defender during the 2023-24 season. When Brown was the primary defender during a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans back in March 2024, the team went only 2 of 14 (14.3%) from the field. Brown was the primary defender on Zion Williamson for 56.7 percent of his floor time. That was just one example of how the 2024 Finals MVP took the role of covering the rival team’s lead scorer from time to time.

For the 2024-25 season, his defensive rating stood at 112.0, which Statmuse ranked as the 5th highest amongst the Celtics‘ squad. Brown underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee about a week ago. Shams Charania, and the official X page of the Celtics, made it clear that the player “is expected to be ready for 2025-26 training camp”. However, that still does not account for the fact that Brown might be traded.

Therefore, the Celtics will need a new man to cover the defensive front in such a scenario. As ‘Tar Heel Times’ reported, Drake Powell has climbed to the 28th spot in the updated ESPN 2025 NBA Mock Draft. Being assured that the Celtics would be fine on the defensive front without Brown would increase the certainty of his trade. This will be good news for many, since the Spurs aren’t the only team with their eye on the 28-year-old.

Will Jaylen Brown be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies?

The Sporting News reporter Tyler Rourke noted that with the Boston Celtics now having won a championship, the priority will shift to long-term improvement. Since Jayson Tatum & Co. lost the Conference Semi-Finals to the New York Knicks, that is a clear sign that the team needs to catch up to the prowess level of their rivals. This, in turn, meant sacrificing Jaylen Brown.

The proposal by Tyler Rourke would see Jaylen Brown, along with Jrue Holiday, be sent to the Memphis Grizzlies. In return, the Celtics would get Ja Morant, Cole Anthony, and recently acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Grizzlies have certainly shown they are open to making big moves after the recent Desmond Bane trade. A willingness to restructure their roster could compel them to acquire a force like Jaylen Brown, who is efficient on both fronts. Meanwhile, the Celtics can benefit from Ja Morant’s rim-attacking. The reportedly “Mazzulla ball” of simplified drive and kick basketball can also provide an easy environment for Morant to adjust to quickly.

The Memphis Grizzlies spent the 5th least on salaries during the 2024-25 season, with all of their players costing the team a combined $163.865 million. Therefore, the franchise is certainly in a position to cover the $53.142 million that Brown is owed for the upcoming season.

The coming weeks will be filled with uncertainty, with no idea what the future will hold for Jaylen Brown. At this point, all one can do is wait and see what course of action the Boston Celtics front office will take for the betterment of the team.