Jaylen Brown says ‘Boston is home’ despite Celtics trade rumors
"When you get out into the community there's a lot of love and genuine connections."
This summer is shaping up to be an uncertain one for the Celtics, but one of its stars said the support he feels in Boston makes it feel like home to him.
During a recent pop-up shop event promoting his “741” apparel business, Jaylen Brown spoke with NBC 10 Boston about his feelings toward the city.
“Boston is home. I’ve been here for 10 years of my life,” Brown said. “Even though sometimes online or in the media there’s a lot of noise, when you get out into the community there’s a lot of love and genuine connections and I get to see that today.”
“People here are standing in the rain for hours, some people stayed overnight just to support and that means more than anything to me.”
The Celtics’ early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks highlighted numerous factors that could suggest an uncertain future for the franchise.
Between the fallout from Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, the looming second apron salary crunch that could provoke major roster changes, and the fact that the Knicks were leading both the series and the crucial Game 4 at the time of Tatum’s injury, there is a lot for the front office to consider this summer.
Some analysts have proposed trades involving Brown. His salary is one of the highest in the NBA, and the Celtics are in a luxury tax position that team governor Wyc Grousbeck called unsustainable. Moving the 2024 NBA Finals MVP could get back a “massive” value in return, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connell.
During his exit interview, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he has full faith in Brown as the team attempts to navigate a significant chunk of time without Tatum next year.
Game 4 against the Knicks was the second time in the past three seasons that the typically durable Tatum suffered an injury at a key point in the playoffs.
Tatum sprained his ankle during the opening possession of Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against Miami and admitted after the game that he was a “shell of himself.” Brown, tasked with picking up the offensive slack, shot 8-for-23 from the field and committed a career-high eight turnovers.
Brown improved his game significantly the following season, taking home NBA Finals MVP and Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors as the Celtics rolled to a record 18th championship.
Brown had mixed results without Tatum in this year’s Knicks series. He was superb in Game 5, notching a 26-point, 12-assist double-double. He also grabbed eight rebounds and helped will the Celtics to victory, forcing Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.
But Game 6 was a struggle for all of the Celtics, including Brown. He was the only starter to score more than 10 points, and he fouled out in the third quarter. His seven turnovers were more than the rest of the starters had combined.
He said that fans should expect to see an improved version of him next year, as they did during the 2024 run.
“You should expect for me to come out and leave my heart out on the floor every single night next year,” Brown said. “Expect me to continue to improve and just look forward to taking matters into my own hands.”
After the Game 6 loss, Brown said things looked “gloomy” for the Celtics and that the loss felt like death. But, along with the gloominess comes a sense of optimism toward what the future may have in store.
“Right now, I’m decompressing emotionally,” he told CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell at the event. “And then in a week or so, I pick up the pieces. I see what the direction is for myself, my health, and the organization. And, whatever the outcome is, I’m excited.”
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