Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics' Jaylen Brown Reportedly Contacted Jayson Tatum, Brad Stevens About Trade Rumors
The Boston Celtics certainly have been in the news lately.
Boston has seen inconsistent play as of late but was in the news early Tuesday afternoon with news about All-Star guard Jaylen Brown.
The two-time All-Star sat down with The Ringer's Logan Murdock to talk all things basketball, social justice, and rumors swirling about his future.
One topic that was brought up was the Celtics' rumored pursuit of former Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Boston potentially including Brown in a deal. The 26-year-old's name has been included in trade rumors various times over the years and when they began flowing this past offseason, Brown spoke directly to Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum to clear the air.
“(Kevin Durant) and (Jayson Tatum) are friends," Brown said to Murdock. "They was working out together and whatnot. So, I wasn’t sure what the energy was. I wasn’t sure what the direction of the organization was.
"Puzzled, Brown placed a three-way call to Stevens and Tatum. During that discussion, Stevens says he assured Brown that the guard wasn’t going anywhere. 'You just have to have a direct conversation,' Stevens said to Murdock. 'And you just have to be able to say, ‘This is what’s real. This is where we are. Obviously, you and Jayson are the two guys that we’ve built the whole roster around. And our every expectation is for us to come and compete together and try to be two games better than we were last year.’”
Brown has developed into not only one of the best offensive players in the NBA but one of the very best two-way players in all of the basketball during his time so far with the Celtics. He is in the middle of the best season of his career and is averaging career highs across the board.
Boston has thrived with both Tatum and Brown in the lineup together so it's not too surprising that the team didn't deal for Durant. The Celtics are looking to make it back to the NBA Finals if they want to do so, it's going to take impressive play from both Tatum and Brown to get there.
Further Reading
[Film Room] the Primary Problem Plaguing the Celtics' Crunch-Time Defense
Celtics Discuss What Went Wrong on the Final Play in Their Loss vs. the Jazz
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Jazz: Boston Outplayed in Crunch-Time
