NBA Trade Rumors: Jazz President denies Jaylen Brown’s interest of potential reunion with Danny Ainge

Rumors about the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown have been circulating for a while now. However, these rumors peaked right before the 2025 NBA draft when ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that the top 10 teams from the draft were interested in Brown and Derrick White.

However, no trade deal materialized before the first day of the draft. The Utah Jazz were among the rumored teams interested in Jaylen Brown, but the franchise’s President of Basketball Operations has flat-out denied these rumors.

On Thursday, Jazz’s President of Basketball Operations, Austin Ainge, refuted the rumors during the first-round post-draft press conference.

"I don't like to confirm or deny rumors, just as a policy, but I will this time. No, that hasn't happened," Ainge said. "No conversations that way."

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The Utah Jazz had the fifth pick in the 2025 draft, and they drafted Ace Bailey from Rutgers before selecting Will Riley from the Illinois Fighting Illini as the 21st pick. However, they later traded Riley to the Washington Wizards.

While Ainge's statements confirm that there were no conversations about Jaylen Brown in the past, it does not rule out the possibility of talks in the future. Brown has a history with Austin Ainge's father and Jazz's CEO, Danny Ainge, who drafted him to the Celtics. So, nothing can be said for sure until the trade deadline passes.

Celtics share positive update on Jaylen Brown's recovery

Celics held the 28th pick in the first round of the 2025 draft, and they utilized their pick for Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez. Following the draft's first round, Celtics' President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens attended the post-draft press conference, where he shared a positive update on Jaylen Brown's recovery.

"He’s doing great,” Stevens said. “His rehab looks good. He was actually on the court the other day doing some ball handling and doing some light work around the rim. Nothing big movement-wise yet."

Jaylen Brown injured his meniscus during the conference semifinals series against the NY Knicks. However, he played through the injury to help his team against the Knicks, albeit in a losing effort.

Brown underwent a successful right knee arthroscopic debridement procedure following his team's playoff exit. He is now on the track to a full recovery and is expected to make a return before the new season begins.

On the other hand, Brown's teammate, Jayson Tatum, is set to miss the majority of the next season after tearing his Achilles tendon in game 4 of the semifinals series. Stevens revealed that the franchise won't put a timeline on his return as Tatum is still taking the 'baby steps' in his rehab.

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About the author

Avi Shravan

Avi Shravan's first year of college was the year he discovered his passion for basketball and the NBA. He has been an ardent fan of the sport ever since, from waking up early to cover games to watching pundit discussions, he does it all.

Avi is a big fan of Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves and firmly believes that the young star is the next big thing in the NBA.

Avi graduated in Mass Communication and Journalism, further enhancing his skills as a journalist and a writer. In his spare time when he is not writing, you can find him playing video games, watching anime, or reading a book he randomly picked at a bookstore.

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