Sports

Jaylen Brown Puts Critics on Notice Amid Celtics Trade Rumors

Weeks of speculation regarding Jaylen Brown and his future with the Boston Celtics may soon come to an end, as there are strong indications he could be part of a blockbuster trade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The NBA champion, Finals MVP, and five-time All-Star may have had enough of those doubting and criticizing him, though.

The Celtics star recently spoke on his live stream about negativity on social media and let everyone against him know what to expect from him moving forward.

“I’m somewhat grateful because I get to see some negativity that I didn’t want. That just gives more fuel to the fire,” he said.

“To all the people that's doubtin’ me, that want me to do this, or want me gone or whatever, you're turning me into a monster," he stated on live stream.

More news:Giannis Antetokounmpo to Celtics Has ‘Real Shot' Before NBA Draft: Report

According to Marc Stein’s recent report (via league sources) earlier, the Celtics emerged this weekend “with a real shot” at making a deal happen with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, that deal would include Brown going to the Bucks, since they’d want serious value in return.

Stein also suggested that this could just be a two-team deal, rather than the Bucks using a third team to facilitate the deal. Additional rumors suggested that the Miami Heat, the other team interested in a trade for Giannis, might use a third team to make their trade work.

Brown has made some rather surprising comments during his offseason, which immediately put focus on the potential for the Celtics to trade him. One of those was his suggestion that this past year with the team was his favorite one.

It raised eyebrows since his All-Star teammate Jayson Tatum was sidelined all but 16 games of the season, while Brown led the Celtics to a surprising winning record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Brown won the NBA championship with the Celtics in 2024 when they defeated a Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks team. He was named the NBA Finals MVP for his performance, which had people questioning why that wasn’t his favorite year.

A Giannis Anetotokoumnpo trade is expected to happen before Tuesday’s NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York, with the Celtics and Heat the only teams that seem in the mix to land him. It’s also worth noting that NBA insider Marcus J. Spears suggested on ESPN that Brown is uninterested in staying with the Bucks if he’s traded there, so it could be a short term situation.

Nonetheless, it appears the 2024 NBA Finals MVP has put everyone on notice about what might happen next season, especially if that Celtics-Bucks trade occurs.

More news:Former Mavericks Coach Suggests NBA Draft Trade to Get ‘Next Jalen Brunson'

For more about the NBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 11:42 AM.

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