DeMarcus Cousins isn’t hiding how he feels about the way things unfolded between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
With Brown no longer in Boston after the Celtics first explored moving him in the 2026 offseason and eventually dealt him to the Philadelphia 76ers, Cousins took issue with Tatum’s role - or lack of one - in the process. The former All-Star center felt Tatum should have done more as the Celtics worked through a situation that ended with the two longtime teammates split up.
Brown had wanted to stay in Boston and run it back with Tatum, but Tatum took a backseat and let team president Brad Stevens handle the decision. The Celtics had also been trying to put together a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Brown as the main piece they were prepared to send to the Milwaukee Bucks before that move fell apart and Brown ended up in Philadelphia instead.
Cousins made it clear he was bothered by the distance between the two stars, especially given everything they had shared over nine years together. “For Jaylen Brown to come out and say he hasn’t talked to him.
That says a lot. Especially for a guy you spent 9 years with, won a championship with, went to multiple Conference championships, all of these things he mentioned, and then I’m at one of the lowest points of my career, and I don’t hear from the guy who supposedly had love for," Cousins said about Tatum and Brown while on Gil's Arena.
There were practical reasons behind Boston’s decision, too. The Celtics had financial concerns heading into the 2026-27 season, and the move appears to have been made with the books in mind.
Still, Cousins seems more focused on the personal side of it than the salary sheet. He’s disappointed that one of the league’s best duos is gone, even if Tatum has pushed back on some of the talk around the breakup. Now the Celtics and 76ers are set up with Brown on the other side, and that adds another layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of attention.
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