Celtics' Jayson Tatum Responds to Trade Buzz Surrounding Himself, Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum ishappy the team didn't make a blockbuster deal before last week's NBAtrade deadline that involved himself or guard Jaylen Brown.

Tatum explained Friday on The Old Man &The Three podcast the Celtics' core has enjoyed a lot of success andshould have a bright future, saying the standout duo are "stillvery far from our prime:"

Boston endured a sluggish start to the2021-22 season and owned a lackluster 17-19 record when the calendarflipped to January. It raised questions about whether the frontoffice would consider a significant roster-altering deal before thedeadline.

Brown downplayed the idea he couldn'tcoexist with Tatum, saying they were on the "same page" and heremained confident in their long-term outlook.

"I think we can play together,"Brown told reporters Jan. 8. "We have played together well forthe majority of our career and things like that. The last year or sohasn't gone as expected, but I think a lot of the adversity thatwe're kind of going through now is going to help us grow and getbetter in the future."

The Celtics have proceeded to turnthings around over the past six weeks. They're improved their recordto 34-26, which ranks sixth in the closely contested EasternConference, and they enjoyed a recent nine-game winning streakleading up to the All-Star break.

Quietly, they've emerged as a potentialNBA championship contender in the process, with ESPN's BasketballPower Index ranking them as the league's second-best team behind onlythe Phoenix Suns.

Boston did end up making a few dealsbefore the deadline to bolster its roster for a possible playoff run,highlighted by the acquisition of guard Derrick White from the SanAntonio Spurs, but the rumors of a possible Tatum or Brown deal fadedaway.

Even if the C's don't win a title thisseason, the roster will feature continuity over the next few yearswith Brown under contract through 2023-24 and Tatum through 2024-25.They don't have any high-impact free agents after the currentcampaign.

So, as frustrating as the early portionof the season was for the Celtics, they survived the rough patch andthings are once again trending in the right direction.

Boston returns to action Thursdaywhen it visits the Brooklyn Nets following the break.