Jaylen Brown Reveals No Contact With Jayson Tatum After 76ers Trade Does Not Surprise Kendrick Perkins

Jaylen Brown opened up about his connection with Jayson Tatum.

Jaylen Brown Reveals No Contact With Jayson Tatum After 76ers Trade Does Not Surprise Kendrick Perkins

Kendrick Perkins on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum's relationship (Image credits - Firstsportz)

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum established themselves as one of the most lethal duos in the league over recent years. Both players developed and played together throughout their NBA careers.

Brown was drafted by the Celtics as the number three pick in 2016, while Tatum was the third pick in the following year. The two achieved success very early, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in their first season together. The two went on to reach two NBA Finals and won the championship in 2024, with Brown being named the Finals MVP.

The former Finals MVP had his first press conference since joining the Philadelphia 76ers last month. During the introductory press conference, Brown revealed that he has not spoken to Tatum since the trade and opened up about their relationship.

Not really. We won a championship together…There are ups and downs in any relationship. On my end, nothing but respect, besides when he plays the Sixers.

Jaylen Brown in his press conference

Brown and Jayson Tatum had an incredible nine years together. Since they achieved plenty of success on the court, many expected them to be the best of friends off the court as well. While their relationship looked fine in public, recent reports suggested that everything was not rosy between the two.

Tatum clarified the reports and dismissed all the negativity surrounding his relationship with Brown. He even went on to say that the media were pitting them against each other. The reports were further fueled when Brown liked a post criticizing Tatum for not standing up for Brown before the trade.

After Brown revealed that he has not spoken to his former teammate since his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, it will cast further doubt on their relationship. But in the end, he also revealed that every relationship has its ups and downs, and he will always respect Tatum for everything they have been through in their nine years together.

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Kendrick Perkins reacts to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum not speaking since the former’s trade

There has been much speculation about why the Celtics broke up the effective Brown-Tatum pairing. Considering their success together, many expected them to play a lot more years alongside each other. Unfortunately, the Celtics front office had other ideas. Tatum even felt “weird” after Brown’s departure.

Former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins was left unsurprised that Tatum and Brown haven’t had any interaction since the latter’s exit.

Duh! Anybody shocked? Everyone knew that they weren’t the best of friends and didn’t hang out outside their basketball lives. But to say that they hadn’t communicated in no form since he has been traded is alarming. You hate to see a relationship end this way.

Kendrick Perkins on NBA Today

Perkins was one of the first to point out that the two stars were not on good terms. If true, it is unfortunate to see Brown’s relationship with Tatum and the Celtics end on a sour note.

Jaylen Brown on dealing with people’s opinions about him

Jaylen Brown faced a lot of criticism regarding his personality and character after the Celtics traded him. The negativity surrounding him even provoked a response from him on social media. But things did get blown out of proportion.

Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown (Image credits – Yahoo Sports)

In his press conference, Brown was asked how he dealt with all the negative opinions about him over the last two months.

I feel like I’ve dealt with that for a while internally, externally. I just choose to not focus on it. Obviously it got to a threshold this offseason that was a little bit higher than it’s been in the past, right? Where I think people attacked my character, someone even went as far and said I had a disease. It’s been a crazy transition. But none of it is completely surprising. It is what it is. So let’s get to it.

Jaylen Brown in his press conference

Brown will have a chip on his shoulder heading into next season. He will be out there to prove himself after an impressive 2025-26 campaign. There is no doubt that the first match-up between Brown and the Celtics will be a highly anticipated and must-see clash.

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