Jaylen Brown isn’t letting Jayson Tatum’s trade story slide.
The former Celtics teammates are already giving fans plenty to read into after Brown reacted to Tatum’s latest video about learning Brown had been dealt from Boston to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. In the clip posted to Tatum’s YouTube channel, he said he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” when the news broke.
Tatum described getting the call while he was in Las Vegas and hearing that Brown was headed to a rival not far away.
"I'm like, 'Oh [expletive]. I said, 'Where?'
He said, 'Philly." I said, 'You traded him down the street?'"
Tatum said, recalling his shocked reaction after learning of the trade details.
Brown wasn’t convinced. He responded to a social media post of the video with a cap emoji, the online shorthand for calling someone out for not being truthful.
The exchange adds another layer to a breakup that has been under the microscope since Boston sent Brown to Philadelphia. The two spent nearly a decade together with the Celtics, won the 2024 NBA Finals, and Brown took home Finals MVP after driving Boston through the series.
Their run together ended with a rough finish in the postseason earlier this year. Boston was knocked out in the first round by the 76ers, 4-3, with the deciding Game 7 in Boston.
Tatum sat out on the bench, as the team chose not to risk injury, while Brown tried to carry the load in a 109-100 loss. He still put up 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.
Trade chatter had already followed Brown through the offseason before the move became official. Brown later said in a social media statement that he was “excited and disappointed” with the trade.
Boston received nine-time All-Star Paul George plus future first- and second-round draft picks in return. George flashed immediately for the Celtics, going for 38 points, five rebounds, three assists, and five steals in a loss to the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
Brown, meanwhile, has wasted no time settling into Philadelphia. The 76ers opened with a 106-100 win over the New York Knicks on a night that included a championship ring and banner-raising ceremony at Madison Square Garden. Then came Thursday’s wild comeback, when Philadelphia erased a 29-point deficit at home to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-106.
Brown finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in that game. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points, six assists, and three rebounds, while Joel Embiid added 24 points. LeBron James finished with 17 in the win.
Even with the speculation around tension between the two stars, Tatum made a point in the video of speaking highly of Brown. He said he was “thankful” for what they shared over “nine years.”
"We pushed each other. I definitely made him better, and he made me better.
And we made our team better. We made this organization better," Tatum said, also acknowledging that they grew up together as Celtics teammates, facing ups and downs along the way.
The first time Brown faces the Celtics as a 76er comes Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Philadelphia, a date that should draw plenty of attention from NBA fans.
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