Shams: Celtics Shopping Brown in Pursuit of Multi-Team Trade; If Leonard Leaves Clippers, He’ll Only Sign with Raptors

On June 29 Beijing time, renowned insider Shams shared the latest updates on trades involving Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard during a show, as follows—

“The Celtics spent the entire weekend contacting teams across the league, shopping Jaylen Brown, and even trying to construct three- or four-team deals. In negotiations, Boston set an extremely high asking price, demanding up to four first-round picks from multiple teams. Other front offices are puzzled, unable to gauge the true trade value of Jaylen Brown—especially given Boston’s valuation. Can any team really afford to part with four first-round picks to complete this trade?”

“Last year he was an MVP candidate, and two years ago he won Finals MVP. Could the Celtics end up having to accept a return far below expectations? How the situation with Jaylen Brown unfolds over the next few days to a week will directly determine the urgency of Boston’s front office to finalize a deal.”

Later, Shams addressed the situation regarding Kawhi Leonard. “The Clippers and Raptors are in deep discussions about a trade centered on Kawhi Leonard returning to Toronto.”

“The key context here is that the Clippers are preparing for a full youth-oriented rebuild, while Leonard has one year left on his contract worth approximately $50 million. From what I understand, if Leonard is traded away from the Clippers, Toronto is the only team with which he is willing to sign a long-term extension. This gives him significant leverage in the trade market.”

“We all remember that in 2018, when he was traded from San Antonio to Toronto, he said: ‘I’ll only play one year with the Raptors, and then I’m leaving.’ And that’s exactly what happened. He led the team to a championship and won the 2019 Finals MVP. For the next six or seven years, he played for the Clippers.”

“Both sides will continue negotiations throughout the day today and keep communicating for the rest of the week. We’ll follow up on whether a deal can eventually be finalized. As of now, the Clippers have not made a long-term extension commitment to Leonard. If he cannot stay with the Clippers, the Raptors are his only option for an extension.”