How Jayson Tatum reassured Jaylen Brown amid trade rumors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
When his Boston Celtics future was in question, Jaylen Brown reached out to team president Brad Stevens and All-Star teammate Jayson Tatum.
Brown was the subject of trade rumors last summer when Kevin Durant wanted out of Brooklyn. The Celtics reportedly offered the Nets a package that included Brown, Derrick White, and future draft picks.
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Brown recently told The Ringer's Logan Murdock he placed a three-way phone call with Stevens and Tatum to get some answers.
“[KD] and JT are friends. They was working out together and whatnot,” Brown said. “So, I wasn’t sure what the energy was. I wasn’t sure what the direction of the organization was.”
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After Friday's win over the Indiana Pacers, Tatum revealed what he told Brown during that call.
"Just reassuring the obvious that we need him and he's a big part of this team, this franchise," Tatum said. "Without him, we can't reach our goal. You guys know that, the world knows that, the team knows that. We need him to be the best version of ourselves."
Today, there's little doubt Stevens and the C's are relieved they didn't make that trade. Brown is enjoying a career season with personal bests in points per game (26.7), rebounds per game (6.9), and field goal percentage (49.2). The 26-year-old earned his second All-Star nod and has been Boston's best player since the All-Star break.
Brown turned heads with recent comments about his future with the Celtics. In the same interview with Murdock, he gave a noncommittal answer when asked if he wants to stay in Boston long-term. But on Tuesday, he made it clear his focus is on bringing Banner 18 to TD Garden.
"I feel great," Brown said when asked how he feels about his current situation. "On a 50-win team right now, which you can't take for granted. ... Right now I'm focused on helping lead my team for another playoff run. In terms of speculation, etcetera, I can't speculate on anything above what I'm doing right now."
Brown is under contract through the 2023-24 season but will be eligible for an extension this offseason.
