Gary Payton knows all about NBA locker rooms.
The Hall of Fame point guard spent 17 seasons in NBA locker rooms playing for multiple franchises such as the Seattle Supersonics, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. With the Lakers he was in an ego-driven locker room featuring two of the biggest stars at the time in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He would once again be a part of a veteran-driven core that won a championship in Miami during the 2005-06 season featuring O’Neal, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and a young Dwyane Wade.
Fast forward to today and the current Celtics went through a major makeover after parting ways with longtime superstar Jaylen Brown. Brown won the 2024 Finals MVP and recently led the Celtics to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, largely without Jayson Tatum, who didn’t make his return until after the All-Star break due to an Achilles injury.
The Celtics traded Brown to their division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers. The move was surprising considering the 76ers just eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs and the move immediately made them one of the top teams in the NBA. The 76ers would go on to sign LeBron James.
Payton gave his theory on why Boston was so quick to pull the trigger on a Brown trade to one of their top rivals in Philadelphia.
“I think the relationship just got out of hand,” said Payton in a one-on-one interview of why the Celtics traded Brown to Philly. “I think it was what it was, a relationship that couldn’t be fixed, as you’ve seen it. It kept going and going in the media, and that relationship can’t be fixed. You cannot keep talking about trading somebody and doing things, and then all of a sudden you come back and he comes back to your team, it’s not going to be a good relationship. I think they did the right move, they had to make the move and do the moves they made.”
Payton: Celtics Chose Jayson Tatum Over Jaylen Brown
Brown had a remarkable career in Boston, leading them to two Finals appearances and advancing to the Eastern Conference six out of 10 seasons. He also established himself as one of the best two-way players in the league as a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection.
However, things soured between the organization and Brown and it didn’t help that there seemed to be a rift between Brown and Tatum as far as who the alpha was.
“It could have went that way,” said Payton of the rift between Brown and Tatum. “Yes, I think that’s the way it is. Tatum is their guy, so they decided to go with him. It’s always happened, it’s just a business, man. It’s not about what people think. You could be together, but when an organization says, ‘This is our guy, we want him to be the guy. He’s the focal point. We’re going to build around him.'”
The Celtics acquired Paul George through the 76ers trade and will instead build around Tatum moving forward. Meanwhile, the 76ers will enter the upcoming season as one of the top teams and one of the favorites to win the championship with Brown and James in the fold.
NBA Legend Gives Bold Take on Jaylen Brown-Boston Celtics Rift