Jayson Tatum breaks silence on Jaylen Brown trade: ‘It’s tough’
Speaking publicly for the first time since the Celtics traded away Jaylen Brown in a shocking deal with the 76ers, Jayson Tatum shared his thoughts on the franchise-shifting move.
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“It’s tough,” Tatum said Tuesday night in Newton while promoting his new children’s book. “But it just makes you appreciate the moments and time that we had. Obviously, it came to an abrupt ending, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t super successful. Great years, obviously, that he gave to the city and to the organization.”
Tatum and Brown helped usher in one of the more fruitful chapters in the Celtics’ storied history — with Boston advancing to five Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals during the duo’s nine seasons together.
“To be honest, it’s weird,” Tatum said of Brown’s sudden exit. “You play on a team with a guy for nine years, who I was fortunate enough to go to the Finals with twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.”
But after a disheartening first-round exit at the hands of the Sixers this spring, Boston’s president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, and the Celtics opted to uproot the roster — trading Brown to one of their top rivals in the Atlantic Division in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
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“The NBA is an incredible business, it’s an incredible job, but there are some downsides to the business that we’re in,” Tatum said. “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.
“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.”
As Brown starts a new chapter on a loaded Philly team also featuring Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and V.J. Edgecombe, Tatum will look to lead a revamped Celtics group that has already added George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley this offseason.
“The tough part is you miss teammates, but then you have new teammates, and you want to welcome those guys and accept them and move forward with them,” Tatum said. “So there is a balance there.”
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