Jaylen Brown trade chatter keeps rolling, and this latest idea from The Ringer takes Boston in a bold direction.
Senior staff writer Michael Pina floated a deal Monday that would send Brown to the Sacramento Kings and bring back a major package for the Celtics: DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and three first-round picks.
Pina noted that the framework could still shift. He wrote that Boston might be able to pull in more draft capital from Sacramento or include another small contract, “like Luka Garza’s,” to trim payroll and make ducking the tax easier. He also pointed out that DeRozan’s contract is expiring and only $10 million of it is guaranteed.
Still, Pina’s case for Boston centered on two things. He wrote, “But, fundamentally, the appeal for Boston is twofold.
First, I don’t really care how dramatically reformed the lottery gets; owning Kings picks is smart business. Second, Sabonis is kinda what Boston needs: an interior low-post bruiser who’s comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter and could seamlessly fit into its preexisting offensive system.”
The age profile of a deal like that would be part of the story, too. Brown turns 30 in October. DeRozan will be 37 in August, and Sabonis is already 30.
DeRozan’s résumé is built on six All-Star selections, with four coming in his first nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors. He spent three years with the San Antonio Spurs, then earned back-to-back All-Star nods with the Chicago Bulls in 2022 and 2023.
He was dealt to Sacramento in July 2024 and closed last season with 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 31.2 minutes per game over 77 games.
Sabonis, meanwhile, is coming off a mostly lost 2025-26 season after a partially torn meniscus limited him to a career-low 19 games.
Before that, the Gonzaga product was a steady force year after year, posting between 18.5 and 20.3 points, 12.0 and 13.9 rebounds and 5.0 and 8.2 assists per game in six straight seasons.
In Other News...
Celtics May Have A Real Opening To Fix Their Biggest Need
The Celtics still have a familiar offseason problem hanging over them: finding the kind of frontcourt help that can raise the ceiling without forcing them to reinvent the roster. NBA insider Michael Scotto reported that Denver could be open to bigger changes this summer, and Boston has already been linked to a pair of Nuggets forwards who would fit different needs for a team trying to stay versatile at the top of the East. Cam Johnson would bring size and spacing, while Aaron Gordon offers the sturdier, more physical option that teams covet when the games get tighter.
Johnsons appeal is obvious because of his expiring contract and the kind of production that has made him one of the more movable names on the market, especially with several teams circling. Gordon, meanwhile, would give Boston a more natural answer at power forward and could even let Jayson Tatum slide back to small forward, which is the type of lineup flexibility the Celtics have been chasing. Whether Denver is actually willing to move either one is the part still worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Suddenly Loom Over One Celtics Shooting Threat After Giannis Move
Miamis trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo has shifted the conversation in South Florida from splashy star power to the far less glamorous business of filling out a roster. For a team that already has to think carefully about shooting around its new centerpiece, the search for help on the perimeter suddenly matters a lot more, especially with free agency approaching and the Heat needing more than just another name to keep the offense balanced.
Anfernee Simons fits the type of scoring and spacing Miami is likely to be chasing, and the possibility of a bigger role there makes him one of the more intriguing Celtics-related names to watch. If the Heat cannot bring back Norm Powell, the pressure to find another guard only grows, and Bostons view of the market could end up intersecting with Miamis roster math in a way that puts Simons squarely in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Rumors Just Reignited A Familiar Frontcourt Debate
Bostons frontcourt conversation has quickly turned from a short-term cleanup job into a familiar roster debate, with the club apparently weighing how to use its mid-level exception to bolster the middle of the floor. The appeal is obvious: one option brings the kind of steady, low-maintenance veteran presence teams trust, while the other offers a defensive impact that can change the tone of a game when he is on the court.
For the Celtics, the bigger question is less about whether help is needed and more about what kind of help makes the most sense. Boston watched its center depth get stripped down last season, then saw the position become a recurring issue when the games tightened up in the playoffs, so any move here will say a lot about how the team wants to balance reliability, health and upside moving forward. [Read more 🡒]