For years, Boston treated Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown like a matched set. Together, they powered the Celtics through deep playoff runs and into two NBA Finals appearances, in 2022 and 2024. Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first of those trips, then beat the Dallas Mavericks in the second.
But that long-running partnership appears to have reached a breaking point. The Celtics have made it clear which star they consider the centerpiece, and the answer is Tatum.
The split comes down to more than just preference. The source material points to the reality that Brown was viewed as the lesser player, and that analytics suggested he was not the best player to build around. With both players carrying huge contracts, Boston had to make a difficult call, and Brad Stevens ultimately moved on from Brown after nearly a decade together.
Tatum, even while dealing with an Achilles tendon injury, was the player Boston chose to keep. That decision says plenty about where the Celtics landed on the hierarchy between their two stars.
“Over the last three or four weeks, while this Jaylen Brown stuff was going on, teams were calling the Celtics on Jayson Tatum. Their answer was a hard stop: 'No, we're not trading Jayson Tatum.
He's untouchable. He's not on the table.'
Jaylen Brown, different story,” Shams Charania said about the two Jays on Stephen A. Smith's show.
What had once looked like an even-handed star pairing is no longer being treated that way. Boston drew its line, Tatum stayed put, and Brown is now set to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. That leaves the Eastern Conference with a fresh twist to the rivalry.
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