NBA insider says Celtics would trade Jaylen Brown for Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard

Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix didn’t say that the Boston Celtics are actively shopping All-Star Jaylen Brown.

However, Mannix did say that he believes the Celtics would consider trading Brown for stars Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard.

“There are a couple of players out there that I think the Celtics would move for Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said on NBA Sports Boston’s “Early Edition” recently. “One would be Bradley Beal, who has to make a decision of his own the next couple weeks if he wants to sign that extension with Washington. If he doesn’t, that’s tantamount to a trade request and he can become available. And we all know at this point about the relationship between Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum.

 

“The other is Damian Lillard. It’s still very much up in the air, Lillard’s future in Portland. If in the coming weeks the [Portland Trail] Blazers decide that they have to trade Damian Lillard, I think Boston would be in a pretty good position to make a strong offer that would have to include Jaylen Brown. So, you don’t just move him to shake things up, but if one of those two players becomes available I think you have to look long and hard about trading Jaylen Brown.”

Beal has been the subject of extensive trade talk over the past few years. However, the Washington Wizards don’t appear ready to trade him unless they get equal talent in return.

Lillard had been happy with the Trail Blazers, but that appeared to change with the dismissal of head coach Terry Stotts. There have been rumblings that Lillard may eventually force a trade out of Portland.

The 24-year-old Brown was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and is coming off his strongest season yet. In 58 games during the 2020-21 campaign, Brown averaged 24.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Acquiring either Beal or Lillard would provide a dramatic boost to a Celtics team that underwent an organizational shakeup that included a new head coach in Ime Udoka.

Whether or not either of the aforementioned deals comes to fruition is something that’s unknown at the present time.