According to NBA insider Jake Weinbach, if the Celtics ultimately decide to explore the trade market for Brown, the Houston Rockets are poised to assemble a massive blockbuster package to acquire him for the 2026-27 season.

“If the Celtics are open to trading Jaylen Brown, the Rockets can present an appealing package around Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and first-round draft compensation,“ Weinbach reported via his X account.

With the Rockets established as an aggressive suitor for Brown, the ball remains entirely in Boston’s court. Houston, however, is not expected to be the only franchise aggressively working the phones to strike a deal for the explosive wing if he becomes available.

What to expect from the Celtics?

To understand why Boston holds all the leverage, it is critical to break down Brown’s current status. While both Brown and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens have publicly downplayed the trade chatter, a potential parting of ways remains a distinct financial possibility due to the league’s strict economic landscape.

Brown is currently playing under a massive five-year supermax extension worth roughly $285 million. With Jayson Tatum also commanding a historic supermax contract of his own, committing to both superstar wings long-term forces the Celtics deep into the NBA’s punishing “second apron” luxury tax territory.

Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) rules, this designation severely restricts the front office from signing impact depth pieces, utilizing mid-level exceptions, or aggregating salaries in trades, threatening to freeze their ability to build a competent championship roster around their stars.

Other reasons to consider that Brown could leave the Celtics

Beyond the financial constraints, Brown’s recent postseason performance has raised questions after he failed to consistently meet expectations. He struggled to impact winning in the manner the front office and fan base anticipated, though a singular playoff slump is a vulnerability faced by many stars and wouldn’t completely tank his value on its own.

However, a more explosive factor has surfaced via reports from The Athletic, which suggest that the Celtics could be monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation for next season. With a luxury tax bill already suffocating their roster flexibility, sacrificed salary would be an absolute necessity, making a Brown departure the clear pathway if ‘The Greek Freak’ somehow targets Boston.

Stein reports that the Heat have long been a potential suitor for the Bucks star, and that while Giannis Antetokounmpo might have legitimate interest in the Celtics, it’s not clear what level of interest the Celtics have in return.

Boston was one of the teams that reportedly reached out to the Bucks at the trade deadline regarding Antetokounmpo, but nothing materialized. A potential deal would almost assuredly mean the Celtics would have to part ways with Jaylen Brown, who has the Rockets interested in him and is up for a contract extension this offseason.

What the Heat can offer

As far as the Heat, a potential package would likely include Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and some combination of draft picks. This would be a considerable trade involving quality players, but the Bucks will likely look for a star in return, and that is where the Celtics could step in by offering Jaylen Brown.

Another factor that could play a role in where Antetokounmpo is traded is the fact that he reportedly wants to remain in the Eastern Conference, Stein reports. It’s viewed as the path of least resistance in terms of getting back to the NBA Finals as opposed to having to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

Despite injury issues this past NBA season, the former No. 15 overall pick was still an elite-level player. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists with splits of 62.4% shooting from the field, 33.3% shooting from the 3-point line, and 65 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Another possible destination

The Dallas Mavericks also remain an interesting subplot in all of this. Stein reports Antetokounmpo has long been intrigued by the possibility of playing in Dallas, originally because of the opportunity to team up with Luka Doncic before Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025.

Antetokounmpo’s close relationship with former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also helped fuel that interest over the years. Kidd has since exited Dallas, though Stein reports that may not eliminate the Mavericks as a possibility.

NBA insider Marc Stein revealed Monday that three teams are said to have “legitimate interest” in trading for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, one of those being the Houston Rockets.

Brown was just named to the All-NBA Second Team Sunday night after posting 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and one steal in the regular season. With Jayson Tatum sidelined for most of the year, Brown took off, leading Boston to the second seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing sixth in the MVP voting.

The others interested in Brown

According to Marc Stein, the Celtics are not the only ones, as the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers also have real interest in the Finals MVP. Stein references Brown within a story largely centered on the uncertain future of Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is believed to have interest in joining Boston, though whether the Celtics feel the same way is not yet known.

The framework of a possible blockbuster trade between Milwaukee and Boston that sees Antetokounmpo land with the Celtics would likely have to involve at least three teams, according to Stein, with Brown rerouted to a third team, potentially Atlanta, Houston, or Portland, and the Bucks receiving unspecified assets.

Something that could define Brown as a trade player

With a projected salary of more than $183 million over the next three seasons, Brown would become a likely trade target if the Celtics considered his salary, combined with Tatum’s, to be too high.

Brown had a career season this past year, helping the Celtics finish with a 56-26 record, which earned them the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference, despite being without Jayson Tatum for most of the NBA season.

The Rockets face a tough offseason this summer, as they will have to decide whether to make yet another aggressive move for a proven superstar, like Brown, much like they did last summer when parting with some of their draft capital and young talent to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant.

During Sunday’s stream, Brown showed a play in which Sixers forward Paul George appeared to push off slightly before making an offensive move. “If you’re going to call push-offs, call that,” Brown said. “Same move. Same refs. Oh, it’s nothing? It’s play on, right?“ Brown said. “But you gonna call me? Everybody does it … but if it would have been me, it’d have been an offensive foul.“

The stream took place Sunday, following the Celtics’ 109-100 loss to the 76ers in the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round on Saturday night. The elimination was particularly painful, as Boston lost three straight games after taking a 3-1 series lead.

Brown did not hold back against the referees

Brown was called for 10 offensive fouls in the first round, twice as many as the next-highest player: Jalen Duren, Karl-Anthony Towns, Neemias Queta, and Stephon Castle each had five.

“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown said. “If Jaylen does this move, call the offensive foul and follow him every time. I don’t know if it’s because I pissed the refs off. I’ve been critical about them, and I called them out a bunch of times. So, they were like, ‘You know what, I got you in the playoffs. Watch this.’ Because that’s exactly what they did.

“It’s clearly an agenda. Look at the same move. Some referees that if I had to choose, if I had to, like, say there’s some referees that need to be investigated. We had three of them in the last three games.”

Brown is one of the most targeted by referees?

Brown may be one of the most affected by officiating, and there is a statistic to support it. During the regular NBA season, Brown ranked second with 40 offensive fouls called against him. Towns was first with 65.

In the Celtics-76ers series, the foul calls were relatively even between the two teams. The Celtics were called for 136 personal fouls, the Sixers were called for 132. So there should not be a complaint of any kind of help.

According to a post shared on X by “Oh No He Didn’t,” Embiid took direct aim at the guard’s pre-game confidence. He stated, “I saw #11 on the team before I came back he said they didn’t care if I was playing or not,” highlighting how the perceived slight fueled his dominant performance. Following the win, 76ers fans crashed the Celtics postgame show with bold chants to celebrate the historic upset.

Embiid further elaborated on how the lack of a specific defensive focus from his opponents allowed him to find his rhythm early. “When the other team doesn’t worry about you and have some solid game plan or being prepared for you he helps you have better games,“ the MVP candidate remarked. He concluded his thoughts with a sarcastic tip of the cap, adding, “I thank #11 for that.”

Embiid and Maxey make history while breaking the Boston hex

The victory marks a massive turning point for the franchise, as it is the first time in eight years that Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have successfully defeated the Celtics in a playoff series. After years of postseason heartbreak and early exits at the hands of their division rivals, the Sixers finally “got over the hump” by delivering a resilient performance.

Embiid and Tyrese Maxey cemented their legacy in this Game 7 by becoming only the third duo in NBA history to each record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a winner-take-all game. They join the legendary ranks of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West (1963), as well as Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain (1970), as the only pairs to ever achieve those elite statistical benchmarks.

By securing this win, the Sixers have not only advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals but have also exercised the demons of past failures against Boston. With Embiid playing at an all-time high and Maxey proving to be the perfect secondary star, Philadelphia now enters the next round with more momentum than they have had in over a decade.

With the win, the Sixers become the 14th team out of 302 to overcome a 1-3 series deficit, the last to achieve it being the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals against the Golden State Warriors. This means Philadelphia is the first team to do it again in 10 years.

As a side note, with the win, the Sixers advance over Boston in the playoffs for the first time since 1982, snapping a six-series losing streak, confirming that they went against everything that did not favor them and brought out their best, with a warrior-mode Joel Embiid, a cold-blooded Tyrese Maxey, and a team hungry for success.

Embiid and Maxey’s impact in Game 7

Joel Embiid scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to propel the 76ers to a 109-100 victory that eliminated the Boston Celtics from the NBA playoffs on Saturday.

Tyrese Maxey scored 10 of his 30 points in a frantic fourth quarter as the seventh-seeded Sixers thwarted the second-seeded Celtics’ comeback bid, completing their own comeback from 3-1 down in the series to book an Eastern Conference semi-final showdown with the New York Knicks.

The series was the 23rd playoff clash between the two teams and Boston had won the last six, knocking Embiid out of the playoffs in 2018, 2020 and 2023. Embiid had said he was tired of losing to the Celtics, and he and Maxey made sure it did not happen again, keying the 76ers’ first-ever victory in a series in which they trailed 3-1.

The key variable in the matchup

It was not a smooth ride, even with Boston missing star Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off with a sore left knee. Tatum had exited late in the third quarter of Thursday’s Game 6 blowout loss to the Sixers, and he could only watch from the bench as the Celtics season ended.

Tatum, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs, had missed the first 62 games of the regular season but had gone from strength to strength since his NBA season debut in March. Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Celtics and Derrick White added 26 points, but it was not enough to secure the victory.

The series is set to begin in New York, where the first matchups will determine the early momentum for both historic franchises. The semifinals are scheduled to tip off on May 4 at PM EDT and could potentially extend until May 17 if a Game 7 is required.

Fans will have plenty of ways to tune in, as NBC, ESPN, Prime, and ABC will provide live coverage for the first four games. The Knicks are already resting and waiting to see if their depth can handle the challenge of this next postseason hurdle.

76ers break historic drought against Celtics

The 76ers have overcome a grueling regular season to find their rhythm when it matters most, putting together an impressive playoff run so far. By closing out this series, Philadelphia has eliminated the Celtics from the postseason for the first time since 1982, ending a decades-long hex held by their division rivals.

Over the last 10 seasons, the 76ers have been a fixture in the postseason, though they have frequently struggled to advance past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite multiple appearances in the second round throughout the “Process” era and beyond, this year’s squad is looking to surpass those previous roadblocks and reach their first conference final in years.

While the team has faced early exits in the past, their performance in 2026 shows a newfound maturity and defensive grit that was often missing in previous campaigns. With the Celtics finally out of their way, the 76ers are now positioned to make their deepest run of the decade and challenge for a spot in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics superstar sparked major concern during Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center when he exited with four minutes remaining in the third quarter and headed straight to the locker room. While he eventually returned to the bench, he spent the remainder of the game on a stationary bike as the Celtics fell 106-93.

It will be a devastating blow for the Celtics, who squandered a prime opportunity to close out the series after holding a commanding 3-1 lead. Now, without Tatum, they must find a way to clinch their ticket to the next round in front of the home crowd at TD Garden.

Mazzulla downplayed Tatum’s fitness issue

Seeing Tatum head directly to the locker room undoubtedly sparked a sense of dread among Celtics fans. However, Mazzulla made it a point to clarify after the game that the superstar was not injured and that there was no cause for alarm.

“He went in the back, just got stretched, got some treatment,” Mazzulla told reporters during his press conference, per Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS, effectively ruling out any significant injury. “That was about it”.

76ers dealing with concerns on the injury report

Philadelphia also enters the decisive Game 7 with its own concerns on the injury report. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George are listed as probable for the matchup, though both stars are expected to be in the lineup tonight at TD Garden.

The silver lining for the 76ers is that Tyrese Maxey is officially available to play after previously appearing on the injury report. Maxey has been essential to Nick Nurse’s scheme, scoring 20+ points in every game of the series against the Celtics thus far.

To the relief of Celtics Nation, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Boston superstar is in good condition and is fully prepared for tomorrow night’s win-or-go-home clash.

“It’s positive right now. Everyone in Boston is downplaying anything with Jayson Tatum… I’m told that Jayson Tatum told teammates after the game he’s fine, he’s good to go. So, I think the expectation in Boston is Game 7 Jayson Tatum is all good,” Charania said on Get Up.

Tatum clarifies the situation

Many in Boston were uneasy watching Tatum retreat to the locker room during the third quarter and later appearing on a stationary bike without returning to the floor. Following the loss, Tatum addressed the media to explain that the lopsided score played a role in his continued absence.

“You guys probably saw when I went to the back, saw me on the bike; my leg just was a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter,” Tatum told reporters. “But just kind of assessing the moment, the game was a little out of reach”.

Joe Mazzulla confirms Tatum’s availability

The sight of Tatum on the stationary bike sparked fears among fans, especially given his history with a previous Achilles rupture. However, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was quick to shut down any speculation regarding a setback.

“He’ll play,” Mazzulla said bluntly when asked by the Boston Globe about Tatum’s status for the series finale. With the season on the line, the Celtics will have their best player on the floor as they look to avoid a historic upset at the hands of the 76ers.

After returning from an emergency appendectomy earlier in the series, he looked dominant in Philadelphia’s Game 5 win, finishing with 33 points and eight assists to help them avoid elimination and cut Boston’s lead to 3-2.

His health remains one of the biggest storylines of the postseason, but the former MVP showed few signs of slowing down in Game 5, controlling the paint and creating opportunities for Tyrese Maxey and Paul George.

How long was Joel Embiid out for?

Joel Embiid missed a little over two weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy earlier this month. He returned just 17 days after surgery, an unusually quick comeback for a player dealing with an appendectomy.

The 76ers superstar was sidelined after experiencing severe abdominal pain during the final stretch of the regular season, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss the beginning of the playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

He returned in Game 4 despite still recovering physically, immediately giving Philadelphia a major boost. In his first game back, he posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, although the Sixers still fell to Boston.

Two days later, he looked much closer to his dominant self in Game 5, finishing with 33 points and eight assists to help the team extend the series. They have continued listing him on the injury report while monitoring his conditioning.

How has Joel Embiid performed this season?

Joel Embiid has once again performed at an All-NBA level during the 2025-26 season. The center averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting nearly 49% from the field during the regular season.

His ability to dominate in the post, draw fouls and create scoring chances for teammates continued to make him one of the most difficult matchups in the NBA. The Sixers relied heavily on his inside presence throughout the year.

He has also shown his importance during the Celtics series. Philadelphia struggled offensively while he was sidelined, but his return changed the tone. In Game 5, he controlled the tempo offensively and helped the Sixers outscore Boston decisively in the fourth quarter to avoid elimination.

Philadelphia 76ers’ next games

The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Boston Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday at 8 PM ET with their season on the line. Boston currently leads the first-round series 3-2 after Philadelphia’s Game 5 victory at TD Garden.

If the Sixers win Game 6 at home, the series will move back to Boston for a decisive Game 7 this weekend. If the Celtics win, Philadelphia’s season will come to an end in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The upcoming schedule for Philadelphia is:

• Game 6 vs. Boston Celtics — Thursday, April 30
• Potential Game 7 at Boston Celtics — Saturday, May 2 (if necessary)

“I have to apologize to the Philadelphia 76ers for thinking the series was over after Game 4,” Johnson posted on X. “The 76ers beat the Celtics and were led by the dominant inside play of Joel Embiid, he had 33 points and 8 assists!”

Along with his apology, Johnson was quick to credit the resilience shown by Nick Nurse’s squad against the Celtics on Tuesday night. With the season on the line, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George provided the elite supporting cast Embiid needed to keep the Sixers’ hopes alive.

Now, the focus shifts back to Broad Street. Maxey sent a clear message to the Philly faithful: they aren’t just looking to compete in Game 6, they’re looking to win. A victory at home would push this series to a do-or-die Game 7 with a trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals on the line.

Nurse’s game plan draws High praise

While Embiid provided the firepower, Johnson was quick to credit head coach Nick Nurse for outmaneuvering the Celtics‘ coaching staff. Facing a hostile Boston crowd and a championship-caliber roster, Nurse’s defensive adjustments kept the Celtics off-balance all night.

“My hat goes off to 76ers Coach Nick Nurse, who had an awesome game plan and had his team believing that they could beat the Celtics on the road in Boston!” Johnson added.

Embiid focused on the mission

For a franchise that has been haunted by second-round exits in recent years, this victory feels like a potential turning point. However, despite the momentum shift and the high-profile apologies, Embiid remains locked in.

“I want to do anything I can to win a basketball game,” Embiid said. “I just want to enjoy this moment, being a part of this basketball team that’s trying to accomplish something. I just want to play basketball.“

The series now shifts back to South Philly for Game 6. For the Sixers, the goal is simple: close it out at home and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.