Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have apparently always had a complicated relationship, at least in outsiders' eyes (which should tell you everything right there). That perception has grown since the Celtics agreed to trade the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia Sixers. At this point, it doesn't matter what either one of them says publicly — they can't put out the fuel from the deal that ignited a raging fire.
Tatum was a guest on Thursday's episode of "The Dan Patrick Show." While it's not surprising that he didn't bash Brown (why would he?), it was interesting to hear him speak so highly of his former teammate.
That's because it was the most Tatum has publicly said about Brown since the trade, and on top of that, Brown said last month that he hadn't talked to Tatum after Boston sent him to Philadelphia. It made it sound like there might actually be some animosity between the two, but it doesn't sound like there is, at least on Tatum's end.
Still, given the nature of the trade, like Brown being the one to guide the Celtics to the No. 2 seed in the East without an injured Tatum, and the shock of trading him to a division rival for a past-his-prime Paul George, there is a whole new layer to the Sixers-Celtics rivalry.
Tatum saying he loves Brown and calling him a "tremendous" person and player won't change that, though it's nice to hear, of course!
The Sixers-Celtics hype will only get stronger
After what has felt like a never-ending offseason, the end is in sight. In less than two weeks, Philadelphia and Boston will hold their respective Media Days, where Brown will be asked about Tatum and the Celtics, and vice versa. It will be one of the main storylines and will stay that way throughout the season.
Even the Sixers' preseason games against the Celtics on Oct. 10 and 16 will draw a lot of attention for matchups that don't carry any weight, so imagine what it will be like on Nov. 10, when the two teams meet in the regular season for the first time in Philadelphia. You won't hear much about how much Tatum respects Brown. It'll be about Brown's first real chance to show the Celtics up close that they should regret moving on from him, though the Sixers are happy they did.
Throughout the season, depending on how Brown and Philadelphia are doing and how Tatum and Boston are doing, everything will tie back to the Celtics' decision to send the guard to the Sixers. It will be nonstop and will probably get tiring to hear about, but that won't make it any less entertaining to watch the two teams go at one another.
Brown and Tatum can shake hands at the start of each Sixers-Celtics game and even say nice things about one another pregame and/or postgame, as Tatum did on Thursday, but the storm has grown stronger since July with no signs of stopping.
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