For the first time in his NBA career, Jayson Tatum will no longer be playing alongside Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics traded the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tatum was candid when asked about what it was like to remain in Boston without his longtime running mate at the 2026 ESPY Awards.
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“If I’m being transparent, it’s weird,” Tatum said. “I’ve been on the Celtics for nine years and he was my teammate every single one of those.”
Brown and Tatum were selected with the No. 3 overall pick in back-to-back NBA drafts in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The duo helped quickly shape the Celtics back into a perennial contender after a brief, post-Big 3 rebuild and eventually led the franchise to its 18th NBA title in 2024.
But that partnership came to an end on July 6, when the Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers for a package including 36-year-old veteran Paul George, two future first-round picks and two future second-round picks.
Tatum referred to the fact that “the NBA is a business” while expressing his understanding of the trade. Nonetheless, he acknowledged moving past the trade wasn’t necessarily easy.
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“There’s still a human element of it that you feel those emotions. The city feels those emotions,” Tatum said. “But there’s also a side of like, we have to welcome our new teammates in with open arms, and we still have to attack the new season.”
“So, there’s like a balance,” he added. “But it’s weird.”
As Tatum mentioned, his focus in wake of the trade will be on preparing for the 2026-27 NBA season. He will be looking to help the new-look Celtics improve upon a 2025-26 campaign that saw them suffer a disappointing first-round playoff exit at the hands of the 76ers.
Meanwhile, Brown will be looking to elevate a 76ers team that already has a strong core featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Philadelphia also remains a player in the LeBron James sweepstakes and could emerge as the Eastern Conference favorite if the 41-year-old signs with the Sixers in free agency.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Celtics’ Jayson Tatum gets ‘transparent’ about Jaylen Brown trade: ‘It’s weird’
