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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown #7

At this point, though plenty of teams will already be poking and prodding around the Celtics to see whether star guard Jaylen Brown could be available on the trade market this offseason, we are still very much in the speculative stage. The Celtics will need to take a beat and consider their options moving forward, with a roster that showed some promise but in the end, was pocked with too many holes–even after the return of Jayson Tatum from Achilles tendon surgery–to sustain a meaningful run in the playoffs.

It’s not necessarily new, but along with Boston’s elimination and the blowing of a 3-1 series lead in the first round against the Sixers, came amped-up speculation that the team could hit the trade market in a big way this summer, with Brown as its primary bait. He is coming off an MVP-caliber season, one that showed he can be a true No. 1 option in the league.

And there’s also speculation–fueled in part by some of Brown’s comments–that he would prefer to remain a No. 1 option, something that won’t happen as long as Tatum is around. Thus, there is already chatter about Brown being on the trade market.

‘Jayson Tatum Would Be the Guy You’d Want to Trade’

But if the Celtics come to a point at which either Brown or Tatum has to be the No. 1, is it so automatic that Tatum would be The Guy? That’s something that was raised by ESPN analyst Alan Hahn on the “Get Up” morning show on Thursday. To be clear, Hahn said he prefers to keep both in place if he were Brad Stevens. If one had to go, though, he sees it being Tatum.

“You would keep Jaylen Brown, if you have to break it up, Tatum would be the guy that you’d want to trade. Not Jaylen Brown,” Hahn said. “Jaylen Brown is the guy who is talking his way out of there, but I don’t think he wants out of there. I wouldn’t break them up, though. If you want out of Boston and all that money, you are going to regret it when your career is over.

“But if you had to make a choice, if Brad Stevens is like, I gotta make a choice between the two? Jaylen Brown is the guy I am keeping.”

Jayson Tatum Less of a Celtics Leader Than Jaylen Brown

There is some logic to that. Tatum is a great player of course, a remarkably consistent six-time All-Star who has averaged 27.5 points with 8.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists over his past six seasons, shooting 46.0% from the field and 36.0% from the 3-point line.

But Brown is coming off a season in which he averaged 28.7 points on 47.7% shooting and 34.7% 3-point shooting, and showed a level of toughness and leadership that does not come naturally to the more reticent Tatum. And that’s likely the tipping point between the two–Brown can be a fiery leader, and the Celtics’ new, younger, scrappier roster just might need that.

Jaylen Brown Says He Wants to Stay With Celtics

And one more thing worth noting: Brown has sought to clarify his meaning on some of the things he has said recently, and denied a statement from Tracy McGrady–a friend and mentor of Brown’s–that he is “frustrated” with the Celtics organization.

“A lot of stuff swirling around the Celtics and the organization,” Brown said. “I hate that [Stevens] even had to respond to this. Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. If it was up to me, I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.”

That might not stop the speculation, but it does set Brown up as a player not actively seeking a departure.