Jaylen Brown NBA Trade Rumors: Spurs, Jazz, Kings in the Mix?

It's exceedingly rare in the NBA these days that a player begins and ends his career in one spot.

Jaylen Brown has been in Boston for nine years now, and he's been in countless trade rumors over the years but still remains with the Celtics. Is this the summer that Brad Stevens finally pulls the trigger on a deal? Or will the Brown and Jayson Tatum marriage stay strong heading into the latter part of this decade?

Below we will deliver all of the latest NBA trade rumors tied to Brown and the Celtics.

Jaylen Brown NBA trade rumors

Tatum's Achilles injury gives the Celtics a decent excuse to shed money, as a title push in 2026 is highly unlikely since the star will probably still be on the shelf next spring. 

Bill Chisholm bought the Celtics for $6.1 billion in March. Chisholm has never publicly said he's instructed Stevens to avoid the substantial tax penalties under the new CBA, but it's easy to read the tea leaves. Stevens has already traded two key pieces of the 2024 title team this summer, as Jrue Holiday is now in Portland, and Kristaps Porzingis is in Atlanta. The Celtics president of basketball operations also let Luke Kornet walk in free agency to San Antonio.

Boston is currently $332,000 over the second apron, $12.2 million over the first apron, and $20.3 million above the luxury tax, according to NBA reporter Keith Smith. He added that “(the Celtics) will at least get under the second apron. Anything further seems less likely, but we’ll see.”

Of course, the easiest way for the Celtics to avoid all of those penalties during the 2025-26 season would be to trade Brown and his massive contact. Here's a look at the latest NBA trade rumors tied to Brown.

Jaylen Brown to Spurs trade rumors

The San Antonio Spurs are trying to build a championship contender around Victor Wembanyama. However, so far the building is looking a tad clunky, as the front office has assembled a roster that includes too many quality guards and wings without enough playing time for every player. 

It's possible that's by design. Whenever a team stacks talent in a particular area, it raises a red flag as a potential trade partner in a blockbuster deal. The Spurs currently have Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper in the fold. The Celtics would certainly demand Harper and Castle as starting points in Brown trade talks. 

“I think the Spurs are at the epicenter of a lot of potential deals over the next six weeks,” Chris Mannix said on The Kevin O’Connor Show on June 10. “You and I talked about Jaylen Brown (to the Spurs). I don’t know how deep the cuts are going to go with the Celtics, or how they’re going to view the next iteration of this team.

"If Jaylen Brown is in play (for a trade), that is somebody I think San Antonio will look at, and will go after. If he’s available, I think the Spurs will make a run at him."

“I don’t think (Brown) is untouchable," Host Kevin O’Connor added. "Every year a Brown trade is a discussion, even after winning the Finals.”

Jaylen Brown to Jazz trade rumors

Austin Ainge is now running the show in Utah after spending 17 years in the Celtics organization. Ainge has said he wants to see the Jazz play more competitive basketball this season, so another tank job feels unlikely.

Landing Brown in a trade would certainly make Utah a better club instantly. There's already been some smoke this summer when it comes to a potential Brown to Utah trade.

“Despite Austin Ainge shooting down all speculation of the Jazz pursuing Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown, claiming there was 'no truth to them,' multiple rival team sources have stated the opposite,” ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel wrote on June 28. “The Jazz did, in fact, speak with the Celtics about the possibility of pursuing Brown, and made an aggressive push for the 2024 Finals MVP, which Boston wasn’t entertaining, league sources said."

Any Brown trade to Utah would surely involve the Jazz sending 2025 No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey to Boston. Bailey reportedly declined to work out with the Jazz prior to the NBA Draft, but Utah selected him anyway. That led to plenty of speculation that the Jazz drafted the highly valued Bailey to eventually trade him.

Jaylen Brown to Kings trade rumors

The Sacramento Kings remain one of the only NBA teams that possess close to the assets that would be needed to land Brown in a trade.

Zach Lowe of The Ringer mentioned the Kings as a possible Brown landing spot on his podcast in late June.

“I get the sense there was real smoke. There was something going on,” Lowe said regarding Brown trade rumors. “That something maybe has subsided. I said last week that I would bet on (Brown and Derrick White) being on the Celtics next year, but I’m not slamming the door shut on some team - the Kings come to mind - being like, ‘We’ll offer you everything. All the swaps. All the picks. Whatever you want for Jaylen Brown, and at least make the Celtics think about it.”

The Kings’ war chest of draft picks includes all of their own upcoming first-round picks, and an unprotected first-round pick from Minnesota in 2031. The Timberwolves are an elite team right now, but given all of the player movement in the NBA, that could become a highly valued pick in a few years.

Celtics betting

The Celtics are in the middle of the pack when it comes to 2026 NBA Finals odds. Boston owns a +4000 price, which is a far cry from the past few years when they were at or near the top of most oddsboards. Brown is getting +10000 NBA MVP odds for next season.

Be sure to check out all of those odds at our best NBA betting sites.