All-Star wing Jaylen Brown has urged fans to ignore unfounded rumors about his frustrations with the Boston Celtics franchise.
Amid the Celtics trade rumors — that gathered steam after his controversial Twitch stream this week — Brown fired the following message on his X account.
“Click bait is like flopping for the media exaggerating contact yall be safe out here.”
It was rather apt of Brown to use the “flopping” reference to get his point across, considering he was widely lambasted for targeting Joel Embiid and saying that “flopping has ruined our game,” for which the NBA fined him $50,000.
Jaylen Brown Trade Rumors
Besides highlighting the NBA’s flopping problem, Brown turned heads on his Twitch stream when he called the 2025-26 NBA campaign “the favorite year” of his career. Many felt the comments were an underhanded shot at co-star Jayson Tatum, who missed the first 62 games of the regular season with an Achilles injury. Tatum’s absence enabled Brown to become the go-to option for the first time in his career, leading to career-high numbers and a legitimate MVP candidacy.
Brown also seemingly took a shot at Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla when he said that he wished his team “trusted the style of play” that propelled them to 56 wins in the regular season rather than shortening their rotations in the playoffs.
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP subsequently faced severe backlash, with many in the media questioning the timing of his comments, which came less than 48 hours after the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history.
In the aftermath of Brown’s comments, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady claimed that his mentee’s comments were borne out of “frustrations” with the Celtics franchise.
Celtics Trade Buzz Intensifies
“I think his frustration lies deeply in the organization that we don’t have the details to,” McGrady said on his “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady” podcast.
“… There’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing, just going on with the Boston organization with JB.”
T-Mac’s comments carry a lot of weight given his close ties with Brown, whom he has mentored for years. In fact, Brown once revealed McGrady talked him out of seeking a trade from the Celtics in 2019 when he was frustrated with his role.
Amid the controversy, several insiders have suggested that the Celtics could explore trading Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is expected to part ways with the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason.
“There will inevitably be people who bring back the, ‘Do they break up Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown’ — like, that storyline will probably come back,” insider Marc Stein told Sirius XM’s “Deals and Dunks” podcast on Monday.
“There have been some rumblings at various points during the season that the Celtics could be a stealth Giannis team and a team that potentially interests Giannis.
“So let’s keep our eye on the Celtics. We know Brad Stevens is not afraid to make big moves and take big swings. So I think we have to be ready for just about anything with Boston.”
Jaylen Brown is not a stranger to Celtics trade rumors. He was reportedly floated as the centerpiece in a deal for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 and also offered to the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 as part of a trade for Kevin Durant.
Luckily for the C’s, both trades were nixed, as Brown played a vital role in helping them raise Banner No. 18 in 2024.
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