Brad Stevens Addresses Rumors That Jaylen Brown Is Frustrated With Celtics After Playoff Exit

Jaylen Brown aired his frustrations following Boston’s playoff exit. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After an early playoff exit, the Celtics find themselves on the cusp of a critical offseason filled with important decisions about their roster—as well as drama surrounding one potentially disgruntled star in particular.

Jaylen Brown has made NBA headlines recently for his comments in the wake of Boston’s first-round series loss to the 76ers. Brown took a pointed shot at Philly big man Joel Embiid for “flopping” in Game 7 and then went on a weird livestream during which he claimed some of the league’s referees had an “agenda” against him.

“If you’re going to call push-offs, call that,” Brown said. “Same move. Same refs. Oh, it’s nothing? It’s play on, right? But you gonna call me? Everybody does it ... but if it would have been me, it'd have been an offensive foul. Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda.”

More recently, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, who shares a close relationship with Brown, claimed the Celtics star was “frustrated” with the organization.

On Wednesday in an end-of-season press conference, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens addressed that subject head-on.

“I talked to Jaylen Monday a little bit... just real quickly and it was nothing but positive. He has not expressed those frustrations to me,” Stevens said.

“We’ve been here 10 years together, and I do think that—obviously I love JB, everybody around here loves JB,” continued Stevens. “Just like any of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season, I’ll be here, and my door is always open if anybody ever wants to come in and talk about it. Talk about the team, their place, whatever the case may be, I’m all ears. ... None of [Brown’s rumored frustrations] have been expressed to me.”

Brad Stevens on Tracy McGrady’s comments about Jaylen Brown reportedly being frustrated with the organization:

“I talked to Jalen Monday a little bit after…real quickly and it was nothing but positive. He has not expressed those frustrations to me.” pic.twitter.com/klUIv6RPYD

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 6, 2026

Stevens also spoke briefly about Brown’s $50,000 fine for criticizing officials on his Twitch livestream following the Celtics’ Game 7 loss to the 76ers.

“I'm not going to get into officiating in our series. We're gonna focus on us ... our own improvement ... it's a physical game in the playoffs ... it's a very, very physical game,” Stevens said.

Tracy McGrady’s comments about Jaylen Brown, Celtics are going viral

What’s with all the hoopla around Brown reportedly being frustrated with the team? Two-time NBA scoring champ Tracy McGrady, who has served as a mentor to Brown over the years, said he believes the Celtics star is feeling a certain type of way about the organization.

“His frustration lies deeply in the organization that we don’t have the details to,” McGrady said on his podcast, Cousins With Vince Carter and T-Mac. “There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going on with the Boston organization, with JB. So I think part of him is like, I showed you guys more of who I am as a basketball player, not only just what I did on the basketball court but the leadership I displayed within this team. And you seen that, not having our best player in JT. You seen the different side of me and what I’m able to bring to the game of basketball. So all that stuff I think just came into play with him and his frustration.”

Tracy McGrady says Jaylen Brown is frustrated with the Celtics organization 😳

(via @VinceAndTmac) pic.twitter.com/VSPEGUuQJ9

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 6, 2026

This past season, with Jayson Tatum missing a good chunk of time, Brown stepped up to deliver his career-best campaign in Boston. The five-time All-Star and MVP contender averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the regular season while helping lift the team to the top of the East; he continued his dominant stretch in the playoffs, where he averaged a career-high 25.7 points across seven games.

Just two years ago, Brown appeared to cement his status as a key piece of Boston’s core, taking home Finals MVP honors during the Celtic’s 2023-24 title-clinching season. His future in Boston remains on solid footing, with Brown having signed a five-year, $285 million supermax through the 2028-29 campaign, yet the recent buzz around him might signify there’s a bit of trouble brewing. Perhaps Brown will clear the air once and for all the next time he speaks to the media.

---