Jayson Tatum broke his silence on July 7 about the blockbuster Jaylen Brown trade between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft picks and Tatum said the trade was “weird.”
“To be honest, weird. It’s weird,” Tatum said, via Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. “You play on a team with a guy for 9 years. I was fortunate enough to go to the finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.”
Brown never requested a trade from the Celtics despite being frustrated with the front office. Boston tried to trade Brown to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant in 2022 and offered the 2024 Finals MVP to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After the Miami Heat traded for Antetokounmpo, the Celtics kept on attempting to trade Brown and they ultimately achieved their objective when the 76ers agreed to give them George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
“The NBA is an incredible business; it’s an incredible job, but there are some downsides to the business and moments like this, where you just kind of feel like you’re going to be on the team with somebody, because that’s all you know,” Tatum said. “And then it’s just like, one day you find out that they’re no longer on your team anymore. And, we’re all humans. We feel all those emotions. Going into the facility, and knowing that you have different teammates, and somebody that you’ve been to war with, essentially, is on a different team…”
Numerous members of the Celtics perceived Brown’s comments about last season being the favorite season of his NBA career as a subtle shot at Tatum and weren’t happy, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal. That’s when Boston decided it was time to move on from Brown, sources said.
A talented two-way swingman, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for the Celtics last season. Boston won 56 games and was the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs even though Tatum missed the first 62 games of the regular season recovering from his Achilles tendon tear.
Brown carried Boston on his back, which is why he was upset the Celtics were dangling him in trades this offseason, sources said.
A five-time All-Star, Brown finishes his Celtics career with averages of 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in the regular season and 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in the playoffs. He and Tatum led Boston to the 2024 championship against the Dallas Mavericks.
Tatum will make $58.5 million next season, while Brown will make $57.7 million.
A six-time All-Star, Tatum holds career averages of 23.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the regular season and 24.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the playoffs. He’s now the exclusive face of the Celtics franchise with Brown gone.
The 76ers now have a “Big 4” of Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. They are also trying to sign NBA icon LeBron James, who will not re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will be led by Tatum, George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and newcomer Mitchell Robinson next season.
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