The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have one of the most storied rivalries in NBA history. They also have something the other can use as they transition into their next iterations. It would take a rare trade between the Celtics and Lakers, though.
Boston is heading into treacherous financial territory, recently removed from their championship run, and will go through the 2025-26 season (or at least, most of it) without Jayson Tatum.
The Lakers have stagnated, despite acquiring Luka Doncic at the trade deadline.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin joined Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre and discussed the directions of both franchises. The two teams’ murky futures left McMenamin intrigued about a potential trade involving Austin Reaves and Jaylen Brown.
“I think there is a big Austin Reaves question,” McMenamin told McIntyre on the “Straight Fire” podcast on May 22.
“I am still very curious to see what Jaylen Brown does. Does he want to be a part of what seems to be a kind of a rebuild on the fly in Boston? Or, will he say, ‘You know what, I don’t know if this is something that’s for me.’ And then if Jaylen Brown becomes a name that’s available, well then, I think, yeah, that’s something that would be considered.”
There is a pathway for the Celtics and Lakers to swap Brown and Reaves this offseason.
Heavy Sports Trade Pitch Sees Celtics & Lakers Swap Stars
GettyJaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on against the Utah Jazz.
The Celtics and Lakers have only made three trades with each other. The last time was in 2004, when LA sent Rick Fox and Gary Payton, along with a first-round pick, which the Celtics used to select Rajon Rondo, to Boston for Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins, and Jumaine Jones.
Notably, Brown and Reaves have been involved in trade speculation before. Neither one has expressed a desire to seek a change of scenery, though circumstances could dictate one.
This Heavy Sports trade proposal would work this offseason, per Spotrac.
The Lakers’ lack of draft pick flexibility could be the death knell for a trade with the Celtics, who will likely receive ample offers for Brown.
Insider Gets Real About Celtics, Lakers
![Austin Reaves, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers]()
- GettyAustin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Chicago Bulls.
McMenamin said he believes “there is no world beater” in the NBA for 2025-26. He called the Celtics the top team by a “wide” margin, but noted they will likely be without Tatum for the entire 2025-26 campaign after he tore his Achilles in the playoffs.
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That reality, McMenamin said, should “embolden” the Lakers to make a trade.
“They’re [Celtics] not going to be right, and they’re never going to look the same again,” McMenamin told McIntyre.
The Wall Street Journal’s Robert O’Connell wrote on May 17 that the Celtics are facing a luxury tax bill estimated at $227 million, or almost double the projected threshold. O’Connell said a championship might have made the situation tenable amid the upcoming ownership change.
However, their loss makes “dissolving the roster and resetting” seem “unavoidable.”
That is where McMenmin’s take on the Lakers could come into play, as LA is armed with a variety of players on expiring contracts and draft capital.
“They [Lakers] have an expiring contract for Gabe Vincent, they have Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt at good numbers that you can attach a first-round pick to – or attach a Dalton Knecht – and get some nibbles around the league,” McMenamin told McIntyre. “There are things they can do.”
Whether a trade between the Celtics and Lakers is one of those things is another matter.
