NBA trade proposal sends Jaylen Brown to Rockets, Fred VanVleet to Pistons

Could Jaylen Brown really end up with the Rockets? Probably not.

But that hasn’t stopped the trade machines from firing up.

Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale recently proposed a four-team blockbuster that would send the Celtics star to the Rockets in one of the wildest hypothetical deals of the offseason.

Here’s how it would look:

Celtics receive

• Saddiq Bey
• Trey Murphy III
• Jabari Smith Jr.
• Suns’ 2027 first-round pick (via Houston)

Rockets receive

• Jaylen Brown
• Marcus Sasser

Pelicans receive

• Dorian Finney-Smith
• Caris LeVert
• No. 21 pick
• No. 27 pick
• Houston’s 2027 first-round pick
• Most favorable 2029 first-round pick from Houston, Dallas or Phoenix

Pistons receive

• Fred VanVleet
• No. 39 pick

The proposal comes as questions continue to swirl around Brown’s long-term future in Boston.

The 2024 Finals MVP remains one of the league’s best two-way players and is eligible for a two-year extension worth roughly $142 million this summer. He still has three years remaining on his current contract.

Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season while helping keep the Celtics near the top of the Eastern Conference despite injuries elsewhere on the roster.

As for Houston, the fit is certainly intriguing.

The Rockets won 52 games this season but were bounced in the first round by the Lakers despite adding Kevin Durant last offseason. Pairing Brown with Durant would give Houston another proven scorer and defender as it tries to make the leap from playoff team to legitimate contender.

Of course, the biggest question is whether Boston would actually move a franchise cornerstone.

The Celtics have repeatedly built around Brown and Jayson Tatum, and there has been little indication they are eager to break up that pairing.

Still, this is the NBA offseason. And when a hypothetical trade includes Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant and four teams, people are going to talk.