The Boston Celtics will be active in the next few months to get under the second tax apron with Jayson Tatum set to miss most of the 2025-26 season after his Achilles tear against the New York Knicks in the NBA Playoffs.
A scenario that continues to pop up is PBO Brad Stevens and Co. pursuing a homecoming for Maine native and Duke Blue Devils basketball’s star from their Final Four run, Cooper Flagg, using Jaylen Brown as the team’s primary trade chip to lure the No. 1 overall 2025 NBA draft pick from the Dallas Mavericks.
Newsweek’s Evan Massey deemed the possibility “something to monitor” this offseason despite recognizing the Cs’ potential unwillingness to even part with their 2024 Finals MVP.
“Of course, there is a good chance that Boston doesn't make a move. The Celtics may not have an interest in trading Brown, and Dallas might not have a single bit of interest in trading away the rights to draft Flagg. However, it's something to monitor,” Massey wrote.
Given how busy the Celtics front office will be in the next few months, just about everything is going to be worth monitoring. Particularly a Brown trade if Stevens decides that his salary is worth swapping out for depth to build around Tatum.
Trading Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, or Kristaps Porzingis is more likely on the table, but you can never write a blockbuster deal off for Stevens. As for smaller splashes, Sam Hauser fitting into someone’s MLE has a higher likelihood than any other deal. Things get further complicated if keeping Al Horford at a high salary figure is necessary to keep him.
As it pertains to monitoring a Flagg deal, though, it’s highly unlikely at best despite Boston getting a meeting with him at the combine.