For nine seasons, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown defined the Boston Celtics. The duo epitomized the franchise, leading it into a new era of excellence, one that included an NBA championship.
And now, that partnership is no more.
Following Brown’s surprising trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, both he and Celtics president Brad Stevens have spoken about the deal. That left Tatum who, other than a goodbye on social media, had yet to speak publicly about the trade.
That changed Tuesday, when Tatum took part in a Q&A while promoting his new children’s book. When asked about the deal, Tatum said it was “weird” to think about not being teammates with Brown any longer, per Celticsblog.com.
“To be honest, weird. It’s weird,” Tatum said on Tuesday night. “You play on a team with a guy for nine years. I was fortunate enough to go to the Finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.”
Tatum reflected on the NBA being a business, saying he has an “incredible job,” but it’s hard not to feel emotions when a longtime teammate gets shipped elsewhere.
“It’s tough. But it just makes you appreciate the moments and time that we had,” Tatum said. “Obviously, it came to an abrupt ending, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t super successful. Great years, obviously, that he gave to the city and to the organization.”
Tatum later spoke about the conflict of being sad about Brown leaving while also being welcoming to the new players coming over to the Celtics. “You want to welcome those guys and accept them and move forward with them,” he said.
The team acquired veteran Paul George in the trade with the 76ers and signed both Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson in free agency. With those moves, the team’s roster is essentially set for next season. Stevens left the door open for more possible moves, though added “we like the group we have” when asked about the roster.
Whether that collection of players can push the Celtics to even higher limits remains to be seen. But if Tatum’s comments are any indication, it may take a bit of an adjustment period before he’s used to Brown’s absence.
That doesn’t mean the Celtics will struggle next season, but — given the partnership and success the two experienced — it’s hard to blame Tatum for being introspective after his longtime teammate was shipped out.
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