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In a recent interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown shared that, during the early stages of the season when Kevin Durant was rumored to be a legitimate trade target for the ball club, he talked with Brad Stevens and Jayson Tatum to discuss the validity of the rumblings as well as his status with the franchise moving forward.
During Friday’s post-game media session, when asked what he may have said during the reported three-way call to try and make Brown “feel at ease”, Tatum opened up a bit about the talking points he, in specific, tried to hit on during discussion with his co-star.
“Just reassuring the obvious that we need him and he’s a big part of this team, this franchise. Without him, we can’t reach our goal. You guys know that, the world knows that, the team knows that we need him to be the best version of ourselves,” Tatum said.
Together, Tatum and Brown have guided the Celtics to exceptional heights, as they’ve appeared in three Eastern Conference Finals throughout their tenure together and, last season, brought Boston to their first NBA Finals in over a decade.
From an individual standpoint, the duo has collected a total of six All-Star selections, while Tatum has received two All-NBA nods along the way.
Celtics Shouldn’t Expect Blockbuster Trade for Jaylen Brown
In the hypothetical scenario that the Boston Celtics opt to move on from Jaylen Brown at some point between now and the expiration of his current contract, Brian Robb of Masslive surprisingly seems to believe that receiving a monstrous haul for his services via the trade market is not a likely scenario.
In a recent mailbag article, a hypothetical trade with the Atlanta Hawks was proposed that consisted of the likes of Dejounte Murray and Onyeka Okongwu heading to New England. Interestingly enough, Robb would note that he doubts such an offer would be on the table should the wing be shopped.
“There’s little doubt Atlanta will be one of the teams worth keeping an eye on with Brown giving his roots there,” Robb wrote. “To be honest, I’d be surprised if Atlanta is willing to offer that good of a deal for Brown if he wants out of Boston. Murray is a borderline All-Star and Okongwu is a terrific big man prospect having a great second season. If Brown doesn’t want to re-sign in Boston, that’s about as good of a haul that they could hope for with the lack of leverage they would have in that situation. Would expect less in said scenario, which is why the Celtics surely hope they never have to face it.”
The Atlanta Hawks are considered to be a top destination for Jaylen Brown in the event that he opts to jump ship between now and the summer of 2024 when his contract with the Celtics expires.
Through 62 games played in 2022-23, the All-Star finds himself sporting impressive averages of 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals on 49.1% shooting from the floor.
Jaylen Brown Sends Warning to League Regarding Celtics
Though the Celtics may have found themselves tumbling since returning from February’s All-Star break, they have now rattled off six wins over their last eight games played and are amid a two-game winning streak.
Following their blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night, Jaylen Brown issued a strong message, suggesting that the once stumbling C’s have now seemingly turned the proverbial corner.
“That looked like the team I recognize,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin in an on-court interview after the 132-109 win. “We came out, we played 48 minutes, we didn’t take our foot off the gas. We took care of business. [We] ended the road trip well…We’re going into spring, winter is over, so there’s definitely an energy shift on the way, so we just got to take advantage of our opportunities and do what we do best.”
Boston now boasts a record of 51-23 and is just 2.5 games behind the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.
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