Jayson Tatum On Jaylen Brown Trade: ‘Abrupt Ending’ To Successful Partnership
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Jayson Tatum On Jaylen Brown Trade: 'Abrupt Ending' To Successful Partnership Jayson Tatum addressed the Boston Celtics' trade of longtime teammate Jaylen Brown publicly for the first time Tuesday, calling the situation "weird" as he prepares for next season without him.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Brown last week in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round selections, a deal that surprised much of the league. Tatum spoke about the trade during a Q&A promoting an upcoming book, according to CelticsBlog.
"To be honest, it's weird," Tatum said. "You play on a team with a guy for nine years. I was fortunate enough to go to the finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.
"It's tough. 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."
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens explained Monday that Boston pursued the trade to gain roster flexibility, citing the difficulty of managing the combined salaries of Tatum and Brown.
Tatum acknowledged the emotional difficulty of losing a longtime teammate under those circumstances.
"The NBA is an incredible business; it's an incredible job, but there are some downsides to the business 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," said Tatum. "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."
Tatum said he is prepared to welcome Boston's newly acquired players, including George, Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson, and move forward with the retooled roster.
While the Celtics aggressively shopped Brown, they completely resisted all trade inquiries they received on Tatum.
Jayson Tatum addressed the Boston Celtics’ trade of longtime teammate Jaylen Brown publicly for the first time Tuesday, calling the situation “weird” as he prepares for next season without him.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Brown last week in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round selections, a deal that surprised much of the league. Tatum spoke about the trade during a Q&A promoting an upcoming book, according to CelticsBlog.
“To be honest, it’s weird,” Tatum said. “You play on a team with a guy for nine years. I was fortunate enough to go to the finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.
“It’s tough. 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.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens explained Monday that Boston pursued the trade to gain roster flexibility, citing the difficulty of managing the combined salaries of Tatum and Brown.
Tatum acknowledged the emotional difficulty of losing a longtime teammate under those circumstances.
“The NBA is an incredible business; it’s an incredible job, but there are some downsides to the business 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,” said Tatum. “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.”
Tatum said he is prepared to welcome Boston’s newly acquired players, including George, Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson, and move forward with the retooled roster.
