The 2025-2026 NBA season is over and now the work begins for next season. The offseason is here and the rumor mill is going to be churning. Even before the Finals ended, the rumor mill was beginning to heat up, and one of the most prominent ones out there has been connecting the Atlanta Hawks to Celtics star (and Georgia native) Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have been rumored as a potential suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and in that trade, they are sending out Brown to a third team. The Atlanta Hawks have been rumored as this third team with noted NBA insider Marc Stein saying this last night: "Does Atlanta or Portland want to be the third team that joins the party to acquire Jaylen Brown and help facilitate a trade that makes Antetokounmpo a Celtic? The closest thing to a certainty, as of publication time on this Sunday, is that we're nearing clarity."Again and again, the Hawks are connected to Brown in rumors, but will it actually transpire? Let's play a game of buy or sell. Buy: Atlanta holds interest in trading for BrownApr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesOn the surface, trading for Brown makes plenty of sense for the Hawks. He is an elite two-way player, and paired with the other core four of the Hawks roster (Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, and Dyson Daniels), the Hawks would have a formidable starting five that could reasonably contend in the Eastern Conference. Brown had the best season of his career statistically for the Celtics and was mentioned frequently in the MVP conversation as he kept Boston's season afloat when it looked like it was going to be a "gap year" for the team with the Jayson Tatum injury. While Hawks president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh is only heading into his second offseason in charge, we do have some examples of what he might be looking to do on the trade market. Consider that Saleh's first major deal as the leader of the Hawks front office was with Brad Stevens and the Celtics, as they acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal that involved Atlanta sending Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick to Brooklyn. Sure, Porzingis only played in 17 games for Atlanta and was later traded to the Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, but it was a high-ceiling type of move that cost the Hawks next to nothing to pull off. Now, Atlanta won't be acquiring Brown for that type of cost, but if it is indeed a three team deal involving Boston and Milwaukee, Atlanta may not have to give up the farm for Brown, as they might in a straight up deal with the Celtics. In any trade that Saleh has made as the lead decision maker in Atlanta, the Hawks have not overpaid and I don't think they would, even for a player the caliber of Brown. I think the Hawks interest in Brown is real, but I do think there is a limit to what Atlanta may give up. Sell: Hawks will move multiple top assets to land BrownThis is just my read on the situation, but as I said before, I think the Hawks interest in Brown comes to a certain point. I think Atlanta will try not to include any of Johnson, Alexander-Walker, Okongwu, or Daniels in a hypothetical Brown deal and I get the feeling they prefer to keep the No. 8 overall pick in this draft as well. Any combination of Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher, Corey Kispert, Buddy Hield, or future draft picks feels like the safter bet in a potential trade. The Hawks are in a great position with a lot of options this offseason. What they are not is a team that is right on the cusp of contending for an NBA Championship. If they moved multiple of those four players plus the No. 8 picks, that would signal a willingness to compete right away. Brown is going to turn 30 before the season starts and has three-years, $180 million left on his contract. As good as he is, that is not the kind of player or contract that the Hawks should be looking to add at this stage of team building. Johnson, Daniels, and Okongwu are 25 or younger while Alexander-Walker is 27. Brown is not egregiously old for the Hawks or anything, but he is getting paid like a top 10 player in the league and I am not quite sure he is that caliber of player, especially taken off Boston and away from stars like Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. The Hawks can go a lot of different ways this offseason, including making a trade for Brown, but I think it would only be at a certain cost. This team is on the right track to building a contender in the Eastern Conference, but they still have a ways to go. Atlanta likely holds interest in Brown, but my read on the situation/rumor is that is will only be up to a certain cost. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow