A representative for Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown called a report that Brown demanded a trade or gave the Boston Celtics a list of demands “10000% a lie.”
The Celtics traded Brown to Philadelphia this offseason in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round selections (2028, 2030).
Scalabrine Walks Back Comments
On Monday, former NBA player and current NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine said Brown requested a trade from Boston, had a list of demands and was “rooting to be traded to Milwaukee.” Scalabrine later backed off those comments before the Celtics hosted the Chicago Bulls that night. He said Brown did not “technically demand to be traded,” but he maintained that Brown arrived in Boston with a list of demands.
“I don’t know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was,” Scalabrine said. “So technically, he did not demand to be traded. It was, ‘Do these things right here or else.’ And one of them might have been, ‘Give me the $140 million extension.'”
He added that he had not uncovered the full story. “I haven’t gotten to the bottom of all that. I didn’t even know this was going to be a thing. It’s one of those things that lived in my mind for months. I finally used it because we were talking about the weirdest stuff, and now it’s out there.”
The Brown representative pushed back on that account. The representative said Brown never requested a trade to the Milwaukee Bucks. After a deal centered on forward Giannis Antetokounmpo fell through during the offseason, Boston told Brown he would be traded anyway. According to the representative, Brown’s only request was to have input on his destination. The representative also said that while Brown was in Boston, he asked only that he and Jayson Tatum be treated equally.
Brown and Tatum Trade Jabs
The tension between Brown and Tatum drew attention over the past week. Brown started the exchange by posting a blue hat emoji, a symbol for “cap,” which is slang for lying, on Instagram. He responded to Tatum’s YouTube video, in which Tatum said he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by the trade.
Tatum responded a day later. “There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise,” he said. “I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I’m not really into that. I’m not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives.”
Two days later, Brown struck a different tone. He insisted there was “no beef” between them but added that there “might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.” He also repeated that Tatum had a “hell of a PR team” and said, “He should stay ready at all times.”
Brown declined to explain why he posted the cap emoji and said he and Tatum were focused on what lies ahead. Tatum said he would welcome a conversation to resolve the issue. When asked whether he would be open to that talk, Brown appeared uninterested.
“We both got so much stuff in front of us,” Brown said. “So at the end of the day … he got to do what he’s got to do for his team. I got to do what I do for my team. Jayson’s a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There’s no beef, but it’ll be a little lamb chop.”
A Successful Partnership
Brown and Tatum spent nine seasons together in Boston. Both were the No. 3 overall picks, Brown in 2016 and Tatum a year later. Together, they helped the Celtics reach five Eastern Conference finals, two NBA Finals and win the 2024 championship over the Dallas Mavericks.