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.
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2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
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2026: New York Knicks (beat San Antonio Spurs in five games)
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2025: Oklahoma City Thunder (beat Indiana Pacers in seven games)
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2024: Boston Celtics (beat Dallas Mavericks in five games)
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2023: Denver Nuggets (beat Miami Heat in five games)
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2022: Golden State Warriors (beat Boston Celtics in six games)
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2021: Milwaukee Bucks (beat Phoenix Suns in six games)
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2020: Los Angeles Lakers (beat Miami Heat in six games)
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2019: Toronto Raptors (beat Golden State Warriors in six games)
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2018: Golden State Warriors (beat Cleveland Cavaliers in four games)
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2017: Golden State Warriors (beat Cleveland Cavaliers in five games)
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2016: Cleveland Cavaliers (beat Golden State Warriors in seven games)
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2015: Golden State Warriors (beat Cleveland Cavaliers in six games)
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2014: San Antonio Spurs (beat Miami Heat in five games)
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2013: Miami Heat (beat San Antonio Spurs in seven games)
(Brendan Maloney=, USA TODAY Sports)
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2012: Miami Heat (beat Oklahoma City Thunder in five games)
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2008: Boston Celtics (beat Los Angeles Lakers in six games)
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2005: San Antonio Spurs (beat Detroit Pistons in seven games)
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2004: Detroit Pistons (beat Los Angeles Lakers in five games)
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2003: San Antonio Spurs (beat New Jersey Nets in six games)
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2002: Los Angeles Lakers (beat New Jersey Nets in four games)
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2001: Los Angeles Lakers (beat Philadelphia 76ers in five games)
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1999: San Antonio Spurs (beat New York Knicks five games)
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1997: Chicago Bulls (beat Utah Jazz in six games)
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1996: Chicago Bulls (beat Seattle SuperSonics in six games)
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1995: Houston Rockets (beat Orlando Magic in four games)
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1994: Houston Rockets (beat New York Knicks in seven games)
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1993: Chicago Bulls (beat Phoenix Suns in six games)
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1992: Chicago Bulls (beat Portland Trail Blazers in six games)
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1991: Chicago Bulls beat Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
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1990: Detroit Pistons (beat Portland Trail Blazers in five games)
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1989: Detroit Pistons (beat Los Angeles Lakers in four games)
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1988: Los Angeles Lakers (beat Detroit Pistons in seven games)
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1987: Los Angeles Lakers (beat Boston Celtics in six games)
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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’
