What happened: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday night that All-Star forward Jaylen Brown remains valued by the organization, calling him "a big part of us." The comments come during an offseason in which Brown's name has circulated in trade speculation around the NBA Draft.

Why it matters: Stevens' public endorsement lands as Boston weighs its roster direction heading into the 2026-27 season. The remarks follow a stretch of reports about Brown's availability, and Stevens has also left the door open to a Brown trade after the draft, leaving his standing in Boston a defining storyline of the team's offseason.

What to watch: Watch whether Boston's draft-week posture shifts and whether the Brown speculation cools or intensifies once the draft concludes.