The Boston Celtics shocked the NBA when they finally decided to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers last week. Not only was it surprising to see Brown get dealt to a top contender in the Eastern Conference, but the return, which featured Paul George and a pair of both first-round and second-round picks, was seen as wildly underwhelming.
While everyone was curious to see how Brown would handle this move, one guy who also drew quite a bit of attention was his longtime partner-in-crime, Jayson Tatum. By moving Brown, the C’s have made it clear that this is Tatum’s team. And yet, while he appears motivated for the upcoming campaign, his former teammate, Jeff Teague, revealed that he wasn’t exactly thrilled by the Celtics’ decision to unload Brown.
Jayson Tatum ‘Can’t Believe’ the Celtics Traded Jaylen Brown
“I talked to my boy yesterday, my boy JT motivated. It ain’t no slight because he was legit like, “Damn can’t believe that sh*t went down.” You know what I mean? That’s sum bullsh*t really…. You know what I said, I was
There are a handful of reasons why the Celtics decided to trade Brown, even though he is coming off the best individual season of his career (28.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 47.7 FG%). Brown has a history of making controversial comments in the media (something he has done several times since the end of the 2025-26 campaign), and reports indicate the team was concerned about how he’d fit in alongside Tatum moving forward.
Brown shouldered the load for Boston last season with Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, but once the latter returned from injury, he quickly proved that he was still one of the top players in the league. Would these guys be able to continue working together in tandem, even with Brown proving he can be the leader of his own team? That’s ultimately a question the C’s will never know the answer to.
The general assumption is that if the Celtics were willing to trade Brown, Tatum was OK with the move. However, it seems like Tatum is still in a bit of a fog when it comes to this trade. Teague revealed that he talked to Tatum about the trade, with the superstar forward expressing his surprise that the deal actually went down. However, he’s also intent on proving that Boston did not make a mistake by making him the team’s new de facto leader.
“I talked to my boy yesterday … my boy JT motivated,” Teague said on his “Club 520 Podcast.” “It ain’t no slight because he was legit like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe that s*** went down.’ You know what I mean? That’s some bulls*** really … I was like s*** what you gonna do? The pressure is on now, killer.”
Celtics Set to Build Around Jayson Tatum
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum reacts in a game. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Boston earned the No. 2 seed in the East last year with a team that was built around Brown. Now, the front office is signaling a shift, as it will be building around solely Tatum, rather than him and Brown. Sure, the return for him is underwhelming, but the Celtics actually have the flexibility needed to make a big swing for another superstar-caliber player in the near future.
For now, the 2026-27 Celtics are going to be built around Tatum. The front office has already signed Mitchell Robinson in free agency and handed Neemias Queta a contract extension, signaling the team’s intent to play more in the paint moving forward. If Boston can round out the edges of its roster, it will almost certainly be a playoff team again next year.
Jayson Tatum’s True Feelings on Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Trade, Revealed