{"id":839817,"date":"2026-09-07T20:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T20:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/839817\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T20:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T20:02:16","slug":"nba-insider-reveals-celtics-had-jaylen-brown-discussions-with-timberwolves-before-lamelo-ball-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/839817\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Insider Reveals Celtics Had Jaylen Brown Discussions With Timberwolves Before LaMelo Ball Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

In under two months, the Celtics<\/a>‘ future will be moving on without Jaylen Brown as the 2026-27 season gets underway. Following July’s stunning trade, Brown’s career will continue with Boston’s longtime rival, Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

On Monday, however, Celtics fans found out the latest tidbit on how Brown trade talks unfolded. After the Celtics missed out on the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes \u2014 a deal that was expected to include Brown \u2014 they wound up shopping their star wing around across the NBA, making it clear they were ready to move on.<\/p>\n

One of the teams that expressed interest in Brown was the Minnesota Timberwolves, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski said on Monday.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Krawczynski, the Timberwolves had “real discussions” with the Celtics about acquiring Brown prior to Minnesota’s blockbuster for LaMelo Ball.<\/p>\n

“They had a lot of internal discussions about it as well,”\u00a0Krawczynski said on the “Celtics Daily” podcast on Monday. “The Celtics wanted Rudy [Gobert] and Naz [Reid], and it was going to be just too high of a price to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

“If the Wolves didn’t do the LaMelo deal, and maybe that price tag dropped as the summer went along, could something else have come together on that front? It’s possible, I guess, but I\u00a0do think the Wolves are happier with the LaMelo fit, a little more than they would\u2019ve been with the Jaylen fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Celtics and Wolves discussed a Jaylen trade, per @JonKrawczynski<\/a>:
\u201cThe Celtics wanted Rudy and Naz, and it was going to be just too high of a price to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think the Wolves are happier with the LaMelo fit, a little more than they would\u2019ve been with the Jaylen fit.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/T0Za73eYV4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) September 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Based on\u00a0Krawczynski’s reporting, in the hypothetical deal, the Celtics would have been swapping Brown for Reid, the former Sixth Man of the Year, and Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Instead, Boston acquired Paul George for Brown.<\/p>\n

Had that trade with Minnesota gone through, it would have represented a major shift in philosophy for the Brad Stevens-Joe Mazulla Celtics, who have valued positional versatility and plenty of five-out lineups that value shooting above all. Reid would have been a strong offensive fit next to Jayson Tatum, but Gobert’s inability to shoot would have required a re-design of the offense.<\/p>\n

Defensively, however, even as Gobert ages, he would have been a terrific option for the Celtics to deploy against a growing number of star big men in the East, including Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Evan Mobley and more.<\/p>\n

Regardless, it’s not how the offseason played out, with the Timberwolves getting Ball and the Celtics getting George.\u00a0<\/p>\n