Just when we thought we could finally get away from the turbulent noise of the 2026 NBA offseason, the rumors just keep coming. We now have legitimate reason to believe that current 76ers star and former Celtics star Jaylen Brown was not only preparing for a trade to Milwaukee this summer, but that he welcomed the idea.
This comes from former NBA forward and current Boston Celtics analyst Brian Scalabrine, who said the following on his SiriusXM radio show with Frank Isola:
"My understanding is Jaylen Brown went to the [Celtics' organization and had a list of demands and was like, 'You either do this or you trade me.' And he was rooting to get traded to Milwaukee, including calling teammates some other teammates about, 'Hey man, what you think of Milwaukee? We should go there.'"
So according to Scalabrine, Brown wasn't just thinking about what would happen if we were swapped for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but was actively rallying other Celtics teammates to join him. Clearly, that's not how things worked out, and frankly, the Bucks have to feel good about what they got for their franchise star from the Miami Heat right now.
But in another timeline, the Bucks wound up with Jaylen Brown + more from the Boston Celtics, and instead of being in a 'building mode,' as the front office and coaching staff say, Milwaukee would be competing for another legitimate run at the NBA Finals as early as this season.
There was a pathway to trading Giannis for Jaylen Brown, but the Milwaukee Bucks seem to have decided on another path.
If the choice belonged to the Boston Celtics, there's no denying they would've picked a Giannis trade over swapping their former Finals MVP for an aging Paul George and a mediocre pick haul. And from the sound of it, Brown might've been interested in running the show in Milwaukee as well.
That means either Giannis, the Bucks, or both decided that the Celtics trade was not the right way to go, and with respect to the Greek Freak and his leverage, it's hard to imagine the Bucks not going with the deal they felt was best for their franchise. In the end, that meant acquiring four cost-controlled, highly motivated young players and a haul of picks instead of the Celtics' reported offer of Brown and a couple of picks that wouldn't move the needle.
The NBA is full of crossroads, and this is far from the last 'What If' that Bucks fans will have to ponder over in the future. That's just the way this league works — ideas get explored, parties go down the road to figure out how much it makes sense, and in the end, very few of them come to fruition.
It seems like everything worked out for the Bucks and Jaylen Brown, though, as Milwaukee continues to grow its young core and develop into a unique, competitive team while Brown competes for a championship alongside LeBron, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey in Philly.
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