EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBoston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday night that All-Star forward Jaylen Brown remains "valued" by the organization.Stevens' comments came a day after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Celtics offered Brown and two first-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a trade package for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. That proposal didn't materialize, and the Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat instead.Stevens didn't specifically address that trade when he met with the media after Boston picked Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. with its first-round draft selection Tuesday night. But he did speak about the Celtics' current relationship with Brown, their own first-round pick 10 years ago."Jaylen Brown is a big part of us," Stevens said. "I'm never going to predict the future. Every indication, every thing I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he's always been. He's been amazing. He's been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around."Stevens added that he and Brown had multiple one-on-one meetings this offseason -- as they usually do -- and that he has remained in contact with Brown's agent."With all the rumor mill and all that stuff, and his name being splashed all over the place, that's not easy," Stevens said. "We certainly wanted to be as proactive and upfront with that as possible. I thought we had really good, candid conversations. ... I'll always keep our conversations private. I think it's appropriate regardless of what the content of those conversations is like."What I said is really true: I don't love the fact any time it's a big, public thing. We try to keep things as close to the vest and as quiet as possible. The rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there's going to be a lot of noise out there."Brown, 29, is coming off career year in which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists to finish sixth in NBA MVP voting and earn All-NBA Second Team honors. However, the Celtics lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, marking the first time they failed to advance since 2021.Yet, ever after that early exit, Brown called the 2025-26 campaign his "favorite year of my basketball career."During his decade with the Celtics, Brown has earned five All-Star selections, made nine playoff appearances, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals six times and reached the NBA Finals twice. When Boston won the title in 2024, its first since 2008, he was named NBA Finals MVP and Eastern Conference finals MVP. Since making his postseason debut in 2017, Brown leads the NBA with 83 playoff wins.Still, his future in Boston remains up in the air.Sources told Charania earlier Tuesday that even after the Bucks agree to the Heat trade, the Celtics were listening to trade offers from other teams for Brown."Whether [Brown's run in Boston] ends 10 years from now when he retires or before, there's a lot to celebrate," Stevens said. "We have a great relationship and an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don't want to predict the future."Brown has three years remaining on a five-year, $285.4 million extension he signed in 2023. He's eligible to sign a two-year, $141.9 million extension on July 26.
