The Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era is over in Boston.
After nine seasons, two NBA Finals appearances and one championship together, the Celtics have broken up their star duo, trading Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft picks.
Boston opened training camp Monday facing a very different future, Nwith coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledging the impact of losing a player who spent 10 seasons with the franchise.
“I want to pay my respects to Jaylen and everything he represented for this organization and the community,” Mazzulla said.
Brown and Tatum had been teammates since Boston drafted Tatum third overall in 2017. They won the NBA championship in 2024 and also reached the Finals in 2022.
But their partnership ended after Boston was knocked out by Philadelphia in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Celtics basketball chief Brad Stevens said keeping two highly paid, ball-dominant stars was no longer the best path for building a team capable of contending over the long term.
“It was inevitable,” Stevens said of eventually making a major change.
Tatum admitted losing his longtime teammate was difficult.
“It’s tough, obviously,” he said. “I’m just grateful for what we accomplished and what he meant to this city and this organization.”
Boston will now build around Tatum with a revamped supporting cast that includes George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson and veteran Mike Conley Jr.
Brown, meanwhile, joins a loaded Philadelphia team featuring LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
The changes add another layer to an Eastern Conference already transformed by major moves, with the New York Knicks defending their NBA championship and Giannis Antetokounmpo now playing for Miami.
For Mazzulla, Boston’s uncertainty is part of the appeal.
“The thing I’m most excited about is the unknown,” he said. “There’s risk to the unknown and there’s also opportunity.”
For the first time in nearly a decade, Boston will find out what a Tatum-led Celtics team looks like without Brown beside him.
(End of an era: Celtics start over after breaking up Tatum-Brown duo
The Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era is over in Boston.
After nine seasons, two NBA Finals appearances and one championship together, the Celtics have broken up their star duo, trading Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft picks.
Boston opened training camp Monday facing a very different future, with coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledging the impact of losing a player who spent 10 seasons with the franchise.
“I want to pay my respects to Jaylen and everything he represented for this organization and the community,” Mazzulla said.
Brown and Tatum had been teammates since Boston drafted Tatum third overall in 2017. They won the NBA championship in 2024 and also reached the Finals in 2022.
But their partnership ended after Boston was knocked out by Philadelphia in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Celtics basketball chief Brad Stevens said keeping two highly paid, ball-dominant stars was no longer the best path for building a team capable of contending over the long term.
“It was inevitable,” Stevens said of eventually making a major change.
Tatum admitted losing his longtime teammate was difficult.
“It’s tough, obviously,” he said. “I’m just grateful for what we accomplished and what he meant to this city and this organization.”
Boston will now build around Tatum with a revamped supporting cast that includes George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson and veteran Mike Conley Jr.
Brown, meanwhile, joins a loaded Philadelphia team featuring LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
The changes add another layer to an Eastern Conference already transformed by major moves, with the New York Knicks defending their NBA championship and Giannis Antetokounmpo now playing for Miami.
For Mazzulla, Boston’s uncertainty is part of the appeal.
“The thing I’m most excited about is the unknown,” he said. “There’s risk to the unknown and there’s also opportunity.”
For the first time in nearly a decade, Boston will find out what a Tatum-led Celtics team looks like without Brown beside him.
