Jayson Tatum addressed Jaylen Brown's trade to the 76ers

Basketball admin September 18, 2026 0 Comments

Jayson Tatum addressed Jaylen Brown’s trade to the 76ers

Before Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers over a month ago, the Boston Celtics fans couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Just a few days before that trade happened, the news broke that the C’s are seriously considering moving the guy who has been with the franchise for the last decade.

And while we are accustomed to the cold side of NBA business, nobody could expect Boston to move the guy who just had a career season while leading injury-derailed squad to 52 wins and second seed in the Eastern Conference while averaging a blistering 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assist and 1.0 steals on 47.7 percent from the field.

Tatum speaks out on his relationship with Brown

Despite beating all odds without Jayson Tatum who returned to action only in April, JB finished only sixth in MVP voting. In the meantime, Boston’s front office viewed the 6-foot-7 forward as someone who was “analytically a problem” for them, and the move was made. Now, JT decided to speak about the departure and how he is processing the whole situation.

“There’s just so many different narratives, you know, and so many different opinions and speculations. For me, I love that guy,” Tatum shared on “Dan Patrick Show”. “What we were able to accomplish together in nine years, we went to the conference finals five times, we went to the championship twice, we won a championship, we’ve shared All-Star games together.”

“You know, you can’t talk about him without talking about me and vice versa, the success that we had as just two kids growing up in this league and really just pushing each other. Unfortunately, the business of basketball is always going to play a part,” he added. “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 what we were able to do. And he’s a tremendous person and a player and I’ll got nothing but respect and wish him the best as he moves forward.”

“I love that guy…” – @jaytatum0 responds when asked about his relationship with Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/BSwsebL6WN

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) September 17, 2026

The two didn’t end up on the best terms

Now, when it’s all said and done, we could say the dynamic duo was the most successful one-two punch in the entire league over the last nine seasons. Tatum and Brown went to as many as five ECFs and two NBA Finals, winning it all in 2024.

With 477 regular season wins since 2017, they are at the very top of the league in that category as well. The legacy they left behind will forever be etched in golden letters in the Celtics’ history books, which is a tough task given the franchise’s storied history.

Jayson Tatum’s farewell post to Jaylen Brown 🥹 pic.twitter.com/2KwEJCOnVu

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 3, 2026

However, after Brown’s departure, it was obvious the two didn’t end up on the best terms. Tatum gave Brown his flowers via a short Instagram story, while Brown himself opened up about their connection, saying that there was nothing but respect despite their fair share of ups and downs.

“You know, we won a championship together. So, anybody you win a championship with, you would think that’s what a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail,” Brown relayed. “Obviously, there are ups and downs in any type of relationship, for sure. But on my end, it’s nothing but respect.”

“Besides, when he plays the Sixers. You know, I hope he does well. But other than that, everything for me is just based in respect,” JB added.

Shams on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown:

“On the court, they were great. But over the last year or so, that personal relationship, it was as close to not existent as you could have.”

(h/t @TheNBABase) pic.twitter.com/ILgko5yGTW

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 8, 2026

Potential new rivalry in the making

With that being said, the two have no choice but to focus on what lies ahead in their respective careers. For the first time in his career, Tatum will have to put the team on his back without star support, something Brown managed to do last season, and prove to the rest of the world that Boston is in good hands in the future with him as the franchise’s main cornerstone.

On the other side, after Brown already proved how he can thrive as a second fiddle or an undisputed team leader, he is slowly shifting his focus on what lies ahead in the City of Brotherly Love. In a star-studded team he will have to once more put his ego aside while shifting all of his energy into building team chemistry.

Who knows, it could be the very next season we could see two former teammates going at it on the league’s biggest stage, deep in the playoffs, with a potential new rivalry in the making.

This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 11:40 AM.