Rockets' Jaylen Brown dream has just one huge obstacle remaining

The Rockets are picking up interest in acquiring Jaylen Brown as a younger centerpiece over Kevin Durant, but the Celtics may not be interested in giving up their All-NBA forward. Brown is coming off a career-best season and Boston will be hesitant to trade him for anything less than a premium return package. Reportedly, they may have some interest in trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo and would surely trade Brown for that return, but it would be hard for the Rockets to get involved as a third party.

Brown has proven himself an ideal Rockets trade target

Brown nearly made First Team All-NBA this season; he was the leading vote-getter among Second Team selections. He earned the honor by leading the Celtics as a tough shot maker and staying relentless on both ends of the court. His steadying presence on offense also helped the Celtics' younger role players develop comfortably in limited roles.

The Rockets need a player comfortable in tight spots to lead their offense. Obviously, they have two young building blocks in Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun that don't provide spacing out to the 3-point line. Even though Brown has played in an ideal spacing environment with the Celtics for years, he's shown the ability to create his own looks against even the closest defense.

Houston knows they will need someone capable of performing at an All-NBA First Team level to compete with the best teams in the West. Durant isn't fully capable of carrying such a big load at his age, and the Rockets understandably have concerns about his decline as he gets even older. Brown is several years younger and still capable of reaching new heights.

The Celtics' asking price for Brown will be very high

But the Celtics are a savvy organization with a clever general manager in Brad Stevens, who won Executive of the Year this season. He won't be willing to trade away Brown without extracting maximum value, which would likely involve both Durant and additional compensation. The Rockets won't be able to get Brown for anything cheap in a direct two-team trade.

The other option that might be more cost-effective is a multi-team trade with Giannis going back to Boston. In that situation, the Rockets would just need to convince the Bucks to part with Brown. That might still involve giving up a core piece and some draft compensation, but it could be a price worth paying for building a team with a potential championship ceiling.

In either situation, the Rockets will need to make a hard decision before acquiring Jaylen Brown. His trade value still remains high despite a first-round exit and the Rockets will need to match it in a trade.

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