Rudy Gobert does not drive this Celtics story, but Boston’s frontcourt chase does: the Celtics are reportedly pivoting to Evan Mobley after their Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit fell apart earlier this week. That shift keeps Jaylen Brown in the middle of trade talk while Boston keeps looking for an impact big man.
Chris Mannix said the name he had been hearing connected to the Celtics most often over the last 24 hours was Mobley in Cleveland. He added that Boston continued to discuss Brown trades on Tuesday, with two sources familiar with the talks telling Sports Illustrated the conversations were not one-sided; some were initiated by rival teams and some were brokered by the Celtics.
Mobley’s case for Boston
Mobley fits the exact kind of frontcourt upgrade Brad Stevens has been signaling. Last month, Stevens said he wanted to add impact at the rim after a first-round exit against the Sixers, and Mobley’s 2024-25 season gave him the kind of profile that would draw attention: an All-Star nod, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and a run of production that continued into 2025-26.
He was the third-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and his numbers with the Cavaliers in 2025-26 were 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. That is the type of two-way line Boston has been hunting as it tries to shore up the middle of the floor.
Brown and the salary problem
The obstacle is not just interest. Mannix said a Celtics-Cavaliers deal would be complicated because Cleveland is projected to be in the restrictive second apron, and that status would prevent it from aggregating contracts to help facilitate a deal. The math is tight too: Brown is set to earn $57.1 million next season, while Mobley’s salary is $50.1 million.
A rival executive put the league chatter plainly: “They are hunting a big man,” and “And they are willing to trade [Brown] to get it.” Brad Stevens, though, framed Brown as part of the core when he said, “Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” and then added, “I’m never going to predict the future, but, like, every indication, everything that I think about over the past few years has been building around those guys, right? So, obviously you never know.”
That leaves Boston with a clear target and a complicated path. The Celtics have moved from the Giannis chase to Mobley, but any deal would have to clear the apron restrictions, line up the salaries, and survive the fact that Brown remains both a core piece and the trade chip most often tied to the search.
