Jayson Tatum’s silence during Jaylen Brown’s trade-rumor storm is looking a lot less accidental.
According to Chris Mannix, the Celtics star had already admitted in 2024 that he wished he had been more public in backing Brown when trade talk kept circling. Mannix shared the story on a recent episode of the Open Floor podcast, saying Tatum opened up to him after Boston won the championship.
“He said that to me in 2024, after they won the championship; he was talking to me in detail about his relationship with Brown. He did say to me that he wished that he had been more publicly vocal about supporting Jaylen during the trade talks over the years.”
Mannix added that Tatum may have been speaking up privately even if he wasn’t doing it out in the open.
“Like, maybe he supported him behind the scenes, and people close to Tatum have insisted that behind the scenes he has told the Celtics over the years that this team was better with Jaylen Brown on it, but publicly he hasn’t been as vocal. He did tell me he regretted that back in 2024,” Mannix claimed.
That revelation lands right in the middle of a messy public exchange between the two players. Tatum recently said he didn’t have any hostile feelings toward Brown and blamed the situation on a lack of communication. Brown didn’t exactly let that pass, replying with a sharp line that while they may not have “ beef,” they have “lamb chops with some gravy.”
Even with that reported regret hanging over him, Tatum stayed quiet again while Brown’s name was dragged through another round of trade speculation. Brown was linked to a move for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that chatter was already building before the Paul George trade became a possibility.
The source of the tension appears to have been Brown’s relationship with the Celtics’ front office, which reportedly frayed over the summer after reliable sources connected him to Antetokounmpo trade rumors. Then, days after Boston missed out on the former Bucks star, Brown was dealt to the 76ers.
From the outside, it’s tough to buy that Tatum truly missed all of it in this digital age. Mannix’s report suggests that if Tatum did know what was going on, he may have stayed true to what he told Mannix in 2024 and wanted to say more. It also raises a bigger question: if the Celtics never asked Tatum before moving Brown, maybe his influence inside the organization isn’t quite what fans assume.
Brown may address it again on his Twitch livestream, but that likely won’t come until after the season. For now, both players say they’re focused on the regular season, not their relationship.
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