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Here’s what a Celtics executive said about trade rumors involving Jaylen Brown and Derrick White
"We’re lucky to have them here.”
Celtics front office weighs in on trade rumors: Alongside the pre-draft trades and a plethora of draft-day moves (including making three picks), Celtics leadership has also operated alongside a steady drumbeat of trade rumors involving star players Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
With Boston already moving on from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in cost-cutting deals, speculation arose that another blockbuster (possibly involving either Brown or White) could be taking shape. Yet with the draft now concluded, the duo remain on Boston’s roster, and team vice president Mike Zarren downplayed the possibility.
Asked about the potential trade offers following the second round of the draft on Thursday, Zarren questioned the rumors.
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“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”
Zarren and the Celtics eventually did make a draft trade, though it was for lower stakes: Boston dealt the 32nd overall pick to the Magic for the 46th and 57th picks this year, as well as 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.
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“All the time we’re looking for the ability to get more assets in the future and still get a bunch of good players,” Zarren said of the Orlando trade. “And we felt pretty confident that there’d be guys we liked lower in the draft and we had the ability to add a couple of really good future draft picks in addition to getting those guys. So, that’s what we did.”
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Blue Jays tonight at Fenway Park at 7:10 p.m.
Tomorrow, the Revolution host the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Here’s how Celtics draft selections could factor into team in 2025
- 5 things to know about Celtics’ 2nd-round picks Amari Williams, Max Shulga
- Celtics reportedly ‘laughed’ at Derrick White trade offer
- 5 things to know about Celtics’ 2nd-round picks Amari Williams, Max Shulga
- Celtics trade down in NBA Draft after Suns swoop in and take Rasheer Fleming at No. 31 overall
- What are the Bruins’ top needs in 2025 NHL Draft?
- Will Red Sox buy or sell at trade deadline? Craig Breslow responds
- NBA analyst thinks Celtics got ‘one of the steals of the draft’ in Hugo Gonzalez
“One of the five dumbest trades of this decade”: Bill Simmons couldn’t hold back when the subject of the Pelicans came up. (Note: Strong language).
On this day: In 2013, the Celtics agreed to a trade that has already taken its place among the great deals in team history. Boston leadership (under governor Wyc Grousbeck and then-president of basketball operations Danny Ainge), looking at an aging roster that still included multiple future Hall of Famers, opted to be aggressive.
Running full speed into a rebuild, Ainge quickly found an eager trade partner in Brooklyn (under the brash and ambitious new ownership of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov). Encouraged by Grousbeck — who repeatedly told Ainge to “go get another one” of Brooklyn first-round picks during negotiations — Boston eventually secured a sufficient blockbuster haul.
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Though it initially had its skeptics (including then-ESPN commentator Bill Simmons, who found out about the deal mid-draft as a television pundit), the potential of the Nets’ picks and pick-swaps soon became clear (including Simmons, who quickly revised his stance).
The trade’s legacy has grown over time, as Ainge used it to maneuver Boston toward its next championship, acquiring players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum either directly or indirectly from the deal.
Daily highlight: Hamad Medjedovic pulled off a great between-the-legs lob shot in a match against Felix Auger Aliassime on Thursday.
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