It’s time to dream big Pelicans fans. That’s because the offseason is just around the corner and the rumor mill is already starting to heat up. In his latest NBA insider Notebook Jake Fischer shared that the Pelicans have been “mentioned by various league executives” as one of the teams with interest in Celtics guard Jaylen Brown.
The reality is that Brown likely won’t be coming to New Orleans. But let’s put reality aside for a moment and have some fun thinking about the Celtics star in the Crescent City.
It’s going to take a lot to pry Brown from the Celtics. He is coming off the best season of his impressive career where he averaged 28.7 points, with 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Maybe the most remarkable part of Brown’s 2025-2026 season is that he led Boston to a 56-26 record as the team’s number one option. Jayson Tatum missed most of the season due to injury, giving Brown the opportunity to prove he can be a team’s go to guy.
Brown is also in the prime of his career as he will turn 30 years old during next season. If the Pelicans entice the Celtics with a strong enough offer, they will be getting a surefire star to build their team around.
I mention “surefire” because the Pelicans were supposed to already have a guy to build their team around in Zion Williamson. Unfortunately, Pelicans fans have been left to dream about what Williamson could be instead of what he turned out to be (so far).
Speaking of Zion Williamson, he could potentially be one of the players sent packing to Boston. Of course, it would take a lot more than just Williamson, but he could be a part of a larger deal.
Either way, if Brown were to start the 2026-2027 season in a Pelicans uniform, he would be their new number one guy. And more importantly, he would be a true number one guy. A first for the Pelicans in a long time.
I’m saying this with the idea that Brandon Ingram wasn’t that player. We are going back to the Anthony Davis days to find the Pelicans' last number one guy.
Because of Brown’s hefty $57+ million price tag for next year, at least one (possibly two) of Williamson, Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murray, or Trey Murphy III would have to be included in any deal for Brown.
It doesn’t seem as though Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen would be included by Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver who want to build this team around their young stars. So, at the very least, you would be looking at a Pelicans team featuring Brown, Fears and Queen.
There are serious questions about whether Brown’s timeline will align with the timelines of the much younger Fears and Queen. But we can worry about that if (I mean when) the deal actually happens.
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