The Jaylen Brown trade for the Philadelphia 76ers was met with a lot of excitement. Still, of course, there were enough rumors coming out of Boston that generated some concern. One of the biggest narratives surrounded the co-star relationship between Brown and Jayson Tatum. From a Sixers perspective, it seemed like a Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid situation.
But not every player who crossed paths with the duo out in Boston shares the same perspective as whoever is putting out the rumors. Take Grant Williams' word for it.
A former Celtic offers his view
“You can bring the best out of someone else beside you, and I think that’s what it was for those two," Williams said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "They had respect for one another, they enjoyed being around one another when they were on the court, as well as they didn’t have any disdain for one another off the floor. So that’s something I can just vividly say is that I don’t think those guys disliked each other at all.”
If the masses are going to take stock in one side, which comes from anonymous sources and outsider opinions, then you have to strongly consider the sources who had a close view of the situation, and who are willing to go on record with their face behind it to speak on it.
Grant Williams played for the Celtics from 2019 to 2023. He experienced the Brown-Tatum duo in action for four seasons before he was moved to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Here's where I'll give the anonymous reports the benefit of the doubt--maybe things changed over time. Since Williams left Boston three seasons ago, he missed the championship run and Brown's solo season of dominance in 2025-2026.
Success can certainly change players, and the way the public or an organization views each individual can have a notable impact on everybody's feelings. It has been said that Brown has felt slighted by the Celtics in recent years. He certainly feels that way now after they traded him suddenly to the 76ers.
Maybe Williams' viewpoint helps ease the worries about Brown potentially having a hard time coexisting with players like Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, and VJ Edgecombe. Maybe not. Either way, only time will tell, and Brown deserves a shot to enter his fresh start without instant doubt due to the rumors flying since he exited Boston in the trade.
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