The San Antonio Spurs' 2024-25 regular season resulted in the storied franchise missing out on postseason basketball for a sixth consecutive year, but a massive mid-season trade to acquire ex-Sacramento Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox and the first All-Star appearance of Victor Wembanyama were both promising developments.
After Fox's arrival and the 2023 Rookie of the Year's continued improvement, there's a chance that San Antonio could look to further construct a competitive roster to fight for playoff positioning in a loaded Western Conference by swinging another blockbuster swap with the Boston Celtics.
In fact, recent reports have indicated that Boston's 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown could be swiftly dealt as early as this summer due to the organization's financial complications, as the combination of Brown and 6-time All-Star Jayson Tatum will receive a total of $562.7 million in guaranteed money through the 2028-29 season.
As a potential consequence of their spending habits, the Celtics could be prepared to ship their homegrown star to a new city in the coming months.
"Ticketed for a 2025-26 payroll and luxury tax bill that will exceed $500 million, the highest figure in league history by a mile, Boston may be faced with the difficult decision to break up a back-to-back title winner for financial reasons," Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes wrote Thursday.
"Beyond the sheer cost for the new ownership group that just agreed to buy the team for $6.1 billion, there are roster-building issues to consider."
"Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and/or Jaylen Brown could all be casualties of cost-cutting."
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If San Antonio were to contact Boston with the intention of landing the superstar small forward, it's possible that an offer including the Spurs' Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson along with a heap of first-round draft capital may be enough to get a deal done.
The prospective acquisition of the 4-time All-Star Brown would mark a seismic shift in identity for a Spurs franchise looking to return as a juggernaut in the West for years to come.
At 28 years old, the athletic 6-foot-6 forward contributed 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2024-25 to propel Boston to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 61-21 record.
As a possible backcourt partner for Fox and a two-way force that could lead a stacked defensive group alongside the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Wembanyama, Brown could take on a new challenge by aiming to lead San Antonio back to the NBA Finals.
Boston's financial hurdles could certainly lead to the franchise deciding to move on from an expensive core piece of their championship-winning rotation. Unfortunately for the Spurs, it remains wildly unlikely that the Celtics' first decision in an effort to save money would be to trade their dominant playoff performer and perennial All-Star.
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