The Celtics’ urge to trade Jaylen Brown appears to be becoming clearer after his shocking move to the rival 76ers last week.
Boston traded Brown for what most consider to be less than market value, landing Paul George – whom most consider to be a negative asset – and four draft picks after failing to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.
ESPN is now reporting that Brown had an increasingly distant relationship with co-star Jayson Tatum despite winning the title together in 2024.
Shams Charania said that Brown and Tatum’s relationship was “as close to nonexistent as you could have” off the court.
He pointed out that Brown and Tatum have had excellent chemistry on the court, but their off-court dealings left much to be desired.
A large part of this could certainly be related to the fallout from Tatum’s torn Achilles, which he suffered in May 2025 and forced him to miss most of the 2025-26 regular season.
While Tatum was out, Brown stepped into the lion’s share of the work for Boston and averaged career-highs in points (28.7), assists (5.1), and rebounds (6.9) per game.
After the campaign, Brown infamously called this his “favorite season” of his NBA career despite blowing a 3-1 lead in a first-round series against the 76ers.
Brown won the NBA Finals MVP in 2024, a decision that was highly controversial, as Tatum is widely regarded as the best player on the Celtics, and the two consistently had Boston as title contenders.
As Brown trade speculation unfolded, Tatum was mostly quiet and issued a brief statement after his now-ex-teammate was sent to Philadelphia.
“From first-round exits to winning a chip together, I’m thankful for it all. Nothing but love and respect for you as a player and as a person,” Tatum said. “Looking forward to see how you attack this next chapter of your career and wish nothing but the best for you! Continue to be special!”
Celtics President Brad Stevens explained the trade by saying they weren’t comfortable paying Brown and Tatum in this current second apron salary cap era.
“I think when you choose the term ‘optionality,’ you’re talking about just length of contract and assets, so that’s where the increased optionality comes from,” Stevens told reporters after the trade. “And listen, we’re going to have to lean on our depth. This is a big part of this.”
