The most productive season of Jaylen Brown’s NBA career came to an abrupt and stunning end in the first round of the playoffs this past weekend. His No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 lead to a No. 7 seeded Philadelphia 76ers franchise that had never come back from that postseason deficit. For the first time in five years, the Celtics, an Eastern Conference titan, have gone one-and-done in the playoffs, and Brown is clearly frustrated.
Tracy McGrady, who notably has a close relationship with Brown, suggested this week on the “Cousins” podcast that Brown’s frustration “lies deeply within the organization.”
But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, Brown’s head coach the first five seasons of his tenure in Boston, said Wednesday that he and Brown spoke on Monday and that “none of that has been expressed” to Stevens.
“[It] was nothing but positive,” Stevens said of his brief chat with Brown, while the executive addressed reporters in his end-of-season news conference.
Stevens continued: “He has not expressed those frustrations to me. We’ve been here 10 years together. Obviously, I love JB, and everybody around here loves JB. And I think, just like any of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season, I’ll be here, and my door’s always open. If anybody ever wants to come in and talk about it and talk about their team, their place, whatever the case may be, I’m all ears. And that would be one through 16, not just Jaylen, not just Jayson [Tatum], not just the guys that have been here.”
“I think it’s really important to be available. So I certainly am and none of that has been expressed to me.”
On Sunday night, a day after Boston lost to Philadelphia at home in Game 7, Brown, 29, aired out some grievances on the streaming platform Twitch.
The five-time All-Star wing called out Sixers star center Joel Embiid for flopping and put the officials on blast. Brown also raised eyebrows when he described the 2025-26 campaign, most of which the Celtics played without a recovering Tatum, as his “favorite year” of his basketball career.
That was an interesting choice of words considering Brown won an NBA title, plus NBA Finals MVP, during the 2023-24 season. This season, however, he thrust himself into the NBA MVP conversation during Tatum’s absence.
While Brown emphasized the pride he had in a team that fought through adversity and a cloud of external doubt, his declaration predictability raised questions about his relationship with Tatum and his desire to keep coexisting with his co-star in Boston.
The clips from Brown’s stream spread like wildfire online, and McGrady’s cryptic remarks only stoked those flames.
“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organization and other things that we don’t really have the details to,” McGrady said on the podcast with fellow Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter.
“There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing just going on with the Boston organization, with JB. So I think part of him is like, ‘I showed you guys more of who I am as a basketball player, not only just what I did on the basketball court, but the leadership that I displayed within this team. And you’ve seen that, not having our best player in JT, you’ve seen the different side of me and what I’m able to bring to the game of basketball.’“
McGrady added: “So all of that stuff I think just came into play with him and his frustration.”
Stevens and the Celtics will now go back to the drawing board to evaluate how they can rebound from their first-round exit next season.
With the Celtics’ previously reported interest in Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brown’s head-turning reaction in the fallout of Game 7, trade speculation has grown this week.
It could persist, even after Stevens’ news conference on Wednesday.
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