A representative for Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown has rejected a report that he demanded a trade from the Boston Celtics or handed the team a list of demands, telling ESPN the claim is "10000% a lie."
Boston sent Brown to the Sixers this past offseason in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031) and two second-round selections (2028 and 2030).
The report came Monday from Brian Scalabrine, a former NBA player who now works as an analyst for NBC Sports Boston. He said Brown had asked Boston for a trade, had a list of demands and was "rooting to be traded to Milwaukee."
According to Brown's representative, Brown never asked to be sent to the Bucks. A deal built around forward Giannis Antetokounmpo collapsed in the offseason, and Boston then told Brown he would be traded regardless. At that point, the representative said, his only request was to have a say in where he landed.
Before the Celtics hosted the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, Scalabrine backed away from part of his statement. He said Brown did not "technically demand to be traded," though he maintained that Brown came to the team with a list of demands. "I don't know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was," he said, suggesting one item might have been a $140 million extension. He added that he had not gotten to the bottom of it and had not expected it to become a story.
The representative said the only other thing Brown asked of the Celtics during his time in Boston was that he and Jayson Tatum be treated equally.
The relationship between the two players has been in the headlines for the past week. The attention began when Brown posted a blue hat emoji on Instagram, a symbol for "cap," slang for lying. It was a response to Tatum saying in a YouTube video that he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" by the trade.
A day later, Tatum said, "There's no beef. It's not about that." He added that he understood drama draws clicks and views but was not interested in it. Tatum also said he would welcome a conversation with Brown.
Two days after that, Brown struck a different tone. He said there was "no beef" but that there "might be a little lamb chops and some gravy," and repeated that Tatum has a "hell of a PR team." He declined to explain the emoji and appeared uninterested in sitting down with Tatum, saying both players have a lot ahead of them and must do what is best for their own teams.
Brown and Tatum spent nine seasons together in Boston. Each was a No. 3 overall pick, Brown in 2016 and Tatum in 2017. They led the Celtics to five Eastern Conference finals, two NBA Finals and a 2024 championship over the Dallas Mavericks.
