Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

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Jaylen Brown Landing Spots To Watch Amid Growing Boston Celtics Trade Rumors

James PierceyJune 3, 2026 8:53 AM

DHJ Quick Take: Three Trade Destinations That Make Sense for Jaylen Brown

With the Boston Celtics‘ title-winning wing duo back under scrutiny after a disappointing 2025-26 season, three teams stand out as logical trade fits for Jaylen Brown: the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and New Orleans Pelicans.

Why is Brown available? A disappointing Celtics season and reports of Brown’s unhappiness have revived long-running questions about breaking up his partnership with Jayson Tatum.
Why the Rockets? Houston could pair Brown with Kevin Durant as a second shot-maker and reunite him with former Boston coach Ime Udoka, raising its win-now ceiling.
Why the Hawks? Brown grew up in the Atlanta area, and the Hawks have young assets — Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and Jonathan Kuminga among them — to build an offer, depending on where their New Orleans pick lands.
What’s next? Watch the draft lottery and Boston’s direction, since a Brown move would ripple across contenders, with New Orleans among the teams positioned to get aggressive.

There’s been talk of the Boston Celtics breaking up “the Jays” for almost as long as they’ve been together.

Before Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown won an NBA title together, they weren’t supposed to be able to co-exist. What was the sense in having two shot-creating wings? Well, it turned out that if you surrounded them with elite spacing, you could win an NBA championship.

That quieted the whispers for a while. Now, they’re growing louder. This was a disappointing season for the Celtics, and it’s been rumored that Brown is unhappy.

Here are three teams that should take a look at him.

Houston Rockets

The Celtics weren’t the only team disappointed with their 2025-26 season. The Houston Rockets also suffered an unceremonious first-round exit.

This team has several talented but flawed young players on its roster. Alperen Şengün can score, but he can’t shoot or defend. Amen Thompson is a prodigious defender, but his inability to shoot mutes his scoring impact. Reed Sheppard is small. As a whole, the team is light on ball-handling and shooting.

Brown doesn’t precisely fix their problems, but if the price is right, he’s talented enough to bolster their win-now upside anyway. The Rockets would be difficult to guard with two shot-makers like Brown and Kevin Durant on the floor, even if they’re light on playmaking. Surely, there will be some temptation here to reunite Brown with Ime Udoka.

Atlanta Hawks

Perhaps Brown would like to reunite with Udoka. That said, there is no place like home.

Brown has often been linked to his hometown team. Perhaps now is the time to strike. The Atlanta Hawks have an impressive collection of talent, but they leaned too heavily into the aging CJ McCollum to create shots in the halfcourt.

Brown would be a more reliable option. Moreover, the Hawks have young players to spare. They could move some combination of Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and/or Jonathan Kuminga.

Likely, this comes down to where their Pelicans pick lands. If the Hawks land a top-four selection, they’ll want to walk away with a blue-chip prospect. Otherwise, don’t rule out a blockbuster deal for Brown.

Although speaking of the Pelicans…

New Orleans Pelicans

There are levels to a disappointing season. The Celtics and Rockets were unhappy with first-round exits:

The New Orleans Pelicans were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Surely, this was a team with postseason aspirations. They fell short. Now, it feels like anything could be on the table for the Pelicans.

Would Boston be interested in Zion Williamson? Could the Pelicans build something around Trey Murphy III? It’s hard to say, but what’s clear is that the Pelicans are a team that could entertain just about anything this summer:

If the Celtics could break up the Jays, anything could happen.