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Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are only four days removed from seeing their attempts to land Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown come up short–the Celtics did not want to cough up many assets beyond Brown–and in the interim, the trade rumors about Brown have continued to flow. On Tuesday, after the first round of the NBA draft, team president Brad Stevens was asked whether he would say for sure that Brown would be on the roster in October, and the fact that Stevens did not directly say, “Yes, of course,” has led to speculation that Brown will be shipped out.

On Friday, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that the Celtics have been asking some teams for four first-round picks, which is a reasonable ask, except for a few realities: First, there are not many teams that have a full complement of four first-rounders to trade, and, second, the Celtics want to remain competitive here in the short term and not trade Brown away for assets they can use in seven years.

So, what gives?

Jaylen Brown Trade Price ‘Really High’

Asked about the Celtics’ stance on a Jaylen Brown trade on Friday, one Eastern Conference executive said, “The price is really high and it is really the kind of thing where it raises real questions about whether it is something they actually want to do.”

Indeed, the Celtics may well be seeking a deal for Brown that they never intend to find. Moving him for an all-around, Top 10 star like Antetokounmpo made sense for Boston, but there are no other stars of that caliber set to hit the market. So, perhaps the remaining stages of this process will just see the Celtics set an unrealistic demand, then pull Brown off the block altogether.

This could all end, then, without a Brown trade at all.

Celtics in Communication With Jaylen Brown

Earlier in the week, another NBA executive pointed out that while most latched on to Stevens’ unwillingness to say Brown would be back with the Celtics, Stevens also said a lot about his relationship with Brown and the fact that he kept Brown and his representatives in the loop as the Antetokounmpo talks were unfolding.

Stevens coached Brown for the first five years of his career after he was drafted in 2016. He has been his GM for the last five years since.

Said Stevens about Brown: “He has been amazing, he has been an amazing teammate, great person to be around. And whether that run ends 10 years from now when he retires, or before, there is a lot to celebrate. And you know, we have a great relationship and an open relationship where we talk about everything.”

Celtics Keeping in Communication

There is an assumption that Brown would be angry about being included in Celtics trade talks, but the fact is, he was being talked about in a trade for a future Hall of Famer–and Brown has indicated a willingness to be traded.

Maybe Brown will be angry about the way the offseason has unfolded, but more likely, he understands what Stevens is doing, and why he is doing it, even if it does not produce a trade.

The NBA executive said: “Players are not stupid, and if there is good communication, you can talk about trades with other teams, and keep the player in touch with what’s going on–sometimes players are really open to being in a trade, and OK with it if it does not happen. Knowing Brad and from Jaylen’s reputation, that is probably what’s going on there. It’s not always a confrontation.”