With Jayson Tatum expected to miss the 2025-26 season recovering from a ruptured Achilles, the Boston Celtics are bracing for a gap year.
To manage their luxury tax burden and prepare for future contention, GM Brad Stevens is motivated to offload larger contracts in favor of expiring deals and cost-controlled assets. Expiring contracts are particularly appealing, as they would provide rotation-ready talent without long-term financial commitments, preserving cap space for when Tatum returns.
While trading 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is not the preferred route, Stevens might entertain such a move if the return includes a young star, expiring salaries, and draft capital. Enter the Chicago Bulls, who could offer a compelling package.
The Trade
Bulls receive…
- Jaylen Brown
Celtics receive…
- Matas Buzelis
- Nikola Vucevic
- Kevin Huerter
- No. 12 pick (2025)
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Why would the Celtics do this?
Brown, a proven superstar at 28, carries a $57.1 million cap hit for 2025-26, the second year of his five-year, $304 million extension. While his two-way ceiling and playoff experience make JB extremely valuable, Boston’s looming luxury tax penalties create pressure to retool.
A deal sending Brown to Chicago for Vucevic ($20 million, expiring), Huerter ($16.8 million, expiring), Buzelis, and the No. 12 pick would be an exciting way to re-organize a younger, winning depth chart around Tatum and Derrick White.
Vucevic, a reliable double-double machine, would anchor the 2025-26 frontcourt alongside Al Horford (presuming Horford returns), offering scoring and rebounding on a one-year deal. Huerter, a sharpshooting wing, would provide floor spacing and secondary playmaking, fitting like a glove into Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-heavy gameplan. Both contracts expire in 2026, giving Stevens cap relief to pursue winning assets next summer.
Buzelis is a 20-year-old forward with All-Star potential. He brings athleticism, versatility, and entertainment value and would address Boston’s need for young, cost-controlled talent.
The No. 12 pick would allow Stevens to draft another high-upside prospect. Boston might even be able to move up into the highest picks of the 2025 draft by packing that No. 12 pick with their No. 28 and No. 32 picks, plus another player (to shed further salary).
Why would the Bulls do this?
For Chicago, acquiring Jaylen Brown would signal a bold pivot toward contention. A trio of Brown, Josh Giddey, and Coby White would give the Bulls three elite guards to build around moving forward. Brown would provide Chicago with a legit superstar and face of the franchise — something they’ve lacked since Derrick Rose.
Trading Vucevic and Huerter, both on expiring deals, would free the Bulls from middling contracts, and moving Buzelis and the No. 12 pick would be a steep but justifiable cost for a proven superstar under contract through 2029.
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