Celtics Get Strong Message on Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown Future Partnership

The NBA offseason is heating up for the eliminated 28 teams, especially the fabled Boston Celtics. 

Over a month after their stunning first round playoff collapse, the rumors speculating the Celtics core players have poured in.

People are asking if the Boston front office is actually gearing up to move Jaylen Brown, ending his decorated nine-year run with fellow star Jayson Tatum.

While trade rumors including Brown may be reasonable, especially for a player like two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are plenty out there ready to fight against claims that the Celtics need to split their superstar duo. 

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is among those. According to the four-time NBA champion, the Celtics need to assess their playstyle, not their roster.

“I don’t think they should break up the Jays,” O’Neal said in an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “They just have to learn how to have better in-game adjustments. The Celtics, you know they’re going to die by the jump-shot and live by the jump shot.”

Celtics’ Main Criticism Has Persisted for Years

GettyJoe Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Boston Celtics

This isn’t new feedback for the Celtics; they’ve heard it since Tatum and Brown’s early years as a rising superstar tandem.

When the 3-point happy Celtics are hitting shots at a volcanic rate, they look dominant, ironclad, dynastic. When the 3-point happy Celtics are clanking shots at a rate that the sound becomes deafening, they look quite capable of a first-round exit.

As was the case in Games 5, 6 and 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“It’s tough to watch,” O’Neal admitted. “When it’s falling it looks pretty, but you have to have that mentality of, ‘Hey, I just missed two 3s, let me go take a high-percentage shot.’ That’s why they lost.”

Jaylen Brown Trade Talk is All Social Media Hype … for Now

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket past Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter in Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoff at TD Garden on April 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Because of the season Brown just had, Boston has been tossed into the mix of teams supposedly in line to call the Milwaukee Bucks for an Antetokounmpo offer.

Make no mistake. Adding Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP and a hands-down top-five player, would certainly position the Celtics to re-claim the Eastern Conference crown in 2027, but all early indications suggest they would be required to include Brown in the deal. 

On face value, the thought of the Celtics desiring to trade a 29-year-old superstar coming off an MVP-caliber season over Tatum, who is fresh off Achilles rehab, would puzzle casual fans. If anything, the Celtics should want to trade Tatum after the season Brown just had. But overarching belief remains that Tatum is better than Brown and the one the Celtics would choose to build around.

After assembling the best season of his professional career, Brown’s trade value appears sky-high. Maybe that is enough of a reason for the Celtics to push Brown to the middle of the table in a deal for a marquee superstar.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is no stranger to elite roster construction. Changes in Boston feel imminent.

The question is whether the franchise will use one of its big chips to make a blockbuster transaction.

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