A representative for Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown has described a report claiming Brown demanded a trade or presented the Boston Celtics with a list of demands as “10000% a lie.”
The Celtics traded Brown to the Sixers this offseason in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round selections (2028, 2030).
Scalabrine’s claims and retraction
On Monday, former NBA player and current NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine said Brown requested a trade from Boston, had a list of demands and was “rooting to be traded to Milwaukee.”
Brown’s representative insisted that he never requested a trade to the Milwaukee Bucks. After a deal centred on forward Giannis Antetokounmpo fell through during the offseason, and Boston informed Brown he would be traded anyway, the representative said Brown’s only request was to have input on his destination. The representative added that Brown’s only other request while he was in Boston was that he and Jayson Tatum be treated equally.
Scalabrine walked back his comments ahead of the Celtics’ home game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. He said Brown did not “technically demand to be traded,” but he reiterated that Brown came to Boston with a list of demands.
“I don’t know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was,” Scalabrine said. “So technically, he did not demand to be traded. It was, ‘Do these things right here or else.’ And one of them might have been, ‘Give me the $140 million extension.’
“I haven’t gotten to the bottom of all that. I didn’t even know this was going to be a thing. It’s one of those things that lived in my mind for months. I finally used it because we were talking about the weirdest stuff, and now it’s out there.”
The Brown and Tatum social media exchange
The report arrived in the middle of a public spat between Brown and Tatum that has made headlines this past week. It began when Brown posted a blue hat emoji, slang for “cap” or lying, on Instagram in response to Tatum saying in a video on his YouTube channel that he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by the trade.
Tatum addressed the situation a day later. “There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise,” he said. “I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I’m not really into that. I’m not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives.”
Two days later, Brown took a different tone. He insisted there was “no beef” between them but added that there “might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.” He also repeated that Tatum had a “hell of a PR team,” adding, “He should stay ready at all times.”
Brown declined to explain why he posted the cap emoji under Tatum’s post, saying instead that he and Tatum were focused on what lay ahead. Tatum said he would welcome a conversation with Brown to resolve the potential issue, but when asked whether he would be open to one, Brown appeared disinterested.
“We both got so much stuff in front of us,” Brown said. “So at the end of the day … he got to do what he’s got to do for his team. I got to do what I do for my team.
“Jayson’s a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There’s no beef, but it’ll be a little lamb chop.”
Shared history in Boston
Brown and Tatum spent nine seasons together in Boston. Both were selected third overall in the NBA Draft, Brown in 2016 and Tatum a year later. Together, they were one of the most successful pairings of their era, guiding the Celtics to five Eastern Conference finals appearances, two NBA Finals trips and a championship win over the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.