After the Boston Celtics' playoff collapse against the Philadelphia 76ers, dropping the final three games of the series to bow out in the first round, Brown called it his "favorite year" of his NBA career. Safe to say Celtics fans didn't take it well. Trade rumors ensued, and eventually Brown was dealt to the Sixers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
Since the trade, much has been made about his relationship with his now-former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum. But Tatum set the record straight on Thursday, speaking on "The Dan Patrick Show." "There are so many different narratives ... What we were able to accomplish together," Tatum said.
"You can't talk about him without talking about me, and vice-versa. The success that we've had, just two young kids growing up in this league and really just pushing each other. Unfortunately, the business of basketball is always going to play a part.
Nobody has ever played together forever, but it's not like a thing to be sad or upset about. It's a thing to celebrate, you know, what we were able to do. And he's a tremendous person and a player.
I got nothing but respect and wish him the best as he moves forward." More news: Aaron Rodgers Has Blunt Response to DK Metcalf’s Rough Week 1 Tatum and Brown spent their entire careers together in Boston, forming one of the most successful duos in recent NBA history. After Brown was drafted in 2016 and Tatum a year later, the two grew into perennial All-Stars and the backbone of the Celtics organization. They led Boston to its 18th NBA championship in 2024, capping off a dominant playoff run, and reached five conference finals together.
But even though Brown was named Finals MVP over Tatum during that title run, he largely took a backseat to Tatum afterward and was widely viewed as the more expendable piece. After putting up career-high numbers in 2025-26, tension grew, and the organization ultimately felt it had no choice but to separate the All-Star tandem. More news: UNC Turns to Another Belichick After Bombshell Investigation More news: Joe Buck Signs Massive ESPN Extension as Troy Aikman’s Future Still Undecided At the time of the trade, it was widely speculated that Brown was tired of playing second fiddle to Tatum in Boston, and that, along with his comments, made a trade feel inevitable.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
