The Boston Celtics’ trade of Jaylen Brown has already started to ripple outward, and one of the names now tied to that fallout is Keldon Johnson.
There had been chatter that the San Antonio Spurs could have been a landing spot for Brown before he was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, which made San Antonio look like a natural fit in a lot of those early rumors. The Spurs ultimately went another direction, and while that choice may still need time to play out, it also may have kept them out of a situation that could have quickly changed again.
Now the focus has shifted to what Boston might do next, and one recent report pointed directly at Johnson as a possible target. Sean Deveny wrote that after the Brown deal, teams were calling the Celtics about a Jayson Tatum trade, but were turned away. He added that Boston is still open to a trade, though the team is looking to build around Tatum rather than add another star beside him.
“ESPN’s Shams Charania noted that teams were calling the Celtics to gauge a Jayson Tatum trade after the Jaylen Brown deal, but were universally shut down. There will be extra spotlight on Tatum this year, as the team’s 1A option no longer has a 1B.
The Celtics are still open to making a trade, but they’re viewing the assignment as building a roster to support Tatum, not to bring in another star to split shots with him. Forget Trey Murphy, the targets are more likely to be Herb Jones, Keldon Johnson or a player of that range,” Sean Deveny wrote.
Johnson is the kind of player who makes sense in that range. He had a strong playoff run, and while his name is now floating around in trade talk, moving him doesn’t sound like a move the Spurs should rush into. The feeling here is simple: unless San Antonio gets the right return, keeping him around is the smarter play.
The Spurs have generally made the right calls over the last few years, and this feels like another one of those spots where patience could matter more than chasing a deal just because it’s there.
In Other News...
Jayson Tatum Had To Admit What The Knicks Title Meant
Jayson Tatums reaction to the Knicks title was the kind of honest, conflicted answer that makes sense for a player with Bostons competitive edge. He did not hide the fact that seeing New York celebrate stung from a basketball standpoint, but he also made clear there was a personal side to it, too, with friends on the other side of the trophy chase and a level of respect that goes beyond the standings.
For the Celtics, it is another reminder of how much the league has shifted around Tatum while he has been working through injuries over the past two seasons. Boston is also adjusting to the reality of Jaylen Brown no longer being in green after the blockbuster move to Philadelphia, and Tatums own focus now is on getting back fully healthy for the 2026-27 season, when the Celtics will be hoping he can again anchor everything that comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Make Another Quiet Move In Their High Stakes Money Game
Boston kept trimming around the edges of its books by waiving Dalano Banton, a move that clears a non-guaranteed $2.8 million salary and leaves the roster at 14 players. It is the kind of quiet transaction that barely registers on the floor but matters plenty in the front office, where every small cut can shape how much room the Celtics have to maneuver later.
The bigger significance is tied to the tax math, with Boston now positioned below the 2026-27 luxury tax threshold and in line to potentially reset repeater penalties down the road. There was a path where the Celtics might have had to consider a more meaningful salary move to preserve that flexibility, which is why this latest cleanup step fits into a much larger money game still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]