The Boston Celtics fell short in their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the fallout from those negotiations may linger far longer than the trade talks themselves. Jaylen Brown was reportedly included in Boston’s firm offer to Milwaukee, reigniting questions about his long-term place alongside Jayson Tatum.

“Hopefully he’s feeling relieved, in my opinion,” Jefferson remarked on SportsCenter, breaking down the psychological impact on players. “You have to understand that this is part of the business. If Giannis comes up, there’s going to be a lot of all-star players that are going to be sweating. He was not the only one. And really, it is a compliment if you are a player of Jaylen Brown’s stature, and they’re talking about a two-time MVP. Could you be a little bit frustrated? But understand that your name was mentioned, not Jayson Tatum.”

Jefferson’s point was straightforward. Boston reportedly viewed Brown as the only realistic centerpiece capable of getting the Bucks to engage in serious Giannis negotiations. In his view, that placed Brown in the same superstar tier Milwaukee was seeking in return.

“You (Brown) most likely, in this present form, were the most valuable player that they could offer for Giannis. You had the highest value. They might not have been looking at Jayson Tatum. But if you’re Jaylen Brown, that’s a compliment. That is a compliment in these spaces where you and Giannis are in the same space, where they’re saying, ‘Hey, we want that player to build our franchise around.’ But you still feel, I won’t say a compliment, but it is more of a feeling of relief. If that’s where you want it to be, if you want it to be in Boston, if you want it to continue building.”

Whether Brown agrees with Jefferson’s interpretation is another matter. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Boston ultimately submitted a firm offer built around Brown and two first-round picks for Antetokounmpo, while Milwaukee pushed for additional assets, including top prospect Hugo Gonzalez.

The structure of those talks mirrored previous Celtics superstar pursuits. During both the Kevin Durant discussions in 2022 and the Giannis negotiations in 2026, Tatum remained off limits while Brown emerged as Boston’s primary trade centerpiece.

The Giannis pursuit was not the first time Brown’s name surfaced in blockbuster discussions. In 2022, the Celtics reportedly offered Brown, Derrick White and a first-round pick in negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant. Brown’s reaction at the time was a now-famous two-word response on social media: “Smh.”

Still, Boston ultimately kept Brown, and the eight-year veteran responded by helping deliver a championship and Finals MVP in 2024.

That history also weakens the idea that Brown’s inclusion automatically signals an impending departure. Despite the public fallout from the Durant discussions, Boston doubled down on Brown, eventually signing him to the richest contract in NBA history at the time.

Boston might still trade Jaylen Brown

Brown has previously acknowledged that his future in Boston was not always guaranteed. During a 2026 appearance on Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady’s podcast, Brown revealed he considered asking out following the Celtics’ 2019 playoff exit against Milwaukee.

McGrady ultimately talked him out of that decision. “I just felt like, in that moment, I had to be a voice of reason,” McGrady said. “What I was seeing is a duo and a team that was putting something together.”

Years later, after Boston’s first-round exit to Philadelphia in 2026, McGrady reignited discussion by claiming, “I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t really have the details to.”

Celtics president Brad Stevens publicly pushed back on that narrative.

“I talked to Jaylen Monday a little bit, just real quickly, and he was nothing but positive,” Stevens said. “He has not expressed those frustrations to me.”

Despite Jefferson’s optimism, trade speculation surrounding Brown is unlikely to disappear. During an appearance on Get Up, Windhorst openly speculated that if the Giannis deal fell through, Boston could eventually explore other Brown trade scenarios.

At the same time, much of the reporting around the Antetokounmpo pursuit suggested Brown’s availability was tied specifically to acquiring a generational talent. As Boston moves forward with Tatum and Brown still intact, the biggest question is whether the latest round of superstar trade talks becomes another footnote in their partnership or the beginning of something bigger.