Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been part of multiple trade rumors, but the Celtics organization has stood firm in retaining their star duo.
Former Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge debunked a popular trade rumor during his tenure, but the latest came this past offseason when Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets.
Brown reportedly called the Celtics front office to address his name in trade rumors, but Brooklyn didn’t trade Durant in the offseason and eventually dealt him to the Phoenix Suns before the NBA trade deadline.
Tatum and Brown arguably have been one of the best duo stars in the league, and the latter opened up Tuesday about his ability to play with the former.
“I think just loving his game. I think we both love this game tremendously and want to continue to improve,” Brown told The Athletic’s and Stadium’s Shams Charania. “We compete. We push each other. We learn from each other, and I think a lot of our relationship is built off that dynamic of respect. That’s the beautiful part of it. JT, I get to see him come into work every single day, see him prepare. He gets to see me come in every single day and prepare what I’m working on, get better each year in the offseason. Obviously, see him get better each year in the offseason — see him grow as man. He’s seen me grow as man.
“I get why, I guess in a sense, people always try to break up duos or people like that because so far, we’ve been incredibly successful, and hopefully, we can be ever more. The only thing that would put the ribbon on top is getting a championship.”
Brown has been uncommitted and vague about his future in Boston, but his comments about Tatum should encourage Celtics fans about his future with the organization.
The reported new collective bargaining agreement also should help the C’s retain Brown if he does not make an All-NBA team. If he does earn one of the 15 spots, he’ll be eligible for a supermax extension.
What could solidify Brown’s future in Boston would be winning an NBA title, especially after falling short last season.
