While the Atlanta Hawks front office has maintained that they are not one player away and that they plan on developing through the draft, they continue to be linkeds to one star player. That player would be Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, an Atlanta native. Ever since the Celtics' stunning loss to the 76ers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, there has been continued speculation that if Brown were to be traded this offseason, that the Hawks would be interested. That speculation got more fuel today after the latest round of reporting from NBA insider Marc Stein, who has had great reporting on the Hawks over the past couple of seasons. When talking about a potential deal between the Celtics and the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stein noted that a deal would have to include Brown and he added this note: "I will say this much ...
There is a belief in some corners of the league that Atlanta, Houston and Portland all have legitimate trade interest in Brown.
Which is something to file away if you're looking for participants that might be interested in joining an eventual multi-team Antetokounmpo trade construction."Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported that Atlanta and Boston had "brief" trade discussions around Brown last summer, but that the discussions went nowhere. Will Atlanta make a deal?Mar 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images | Mady Mertens-Imagn ImagesNow, "legitimate" trade interest is just that, interest. However, when it comes from Stein, it is very notable, and there has always been speculation about Brown possibly coming back to Atlanta to play for the Hawks, something Brown even addressed less than a year ago when asked on "The Big Tigger Morning Show": “You never know… Nah, I feel you. Nah, I think my grandma would, too… but you never know. We’ll see.” Jaylen Brown discusses the possibility of playing for the Atlanta Hawks in the future 👀@BigTiggerShow pic.twitter.com/N4vs46vecQ— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) September 10, 2025Does a deal make sense for the Hawks though? There is no doubt that Brown is one of the very best two-way players in the NBA and is coming off his best statistical season as a player and even got MVP votes for helping the Celtics earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, despite Jayson Tatum not playing for the majority of the season and Boston making major roster moves last offseason. While Brown is a great player, he is going to cost a lot in a trade and his contract is very expensive. Brown is going to be one of the highest-paid players in the NBA and here are how the next three years of his contract break down: 2026-2027: $57,078,7282027-2028: $61,015,192
