Jayson Tatum: 'Could Have Done a Better Job' Backing Jaylen Brown During Trade Rumors

Like any successful duo, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been subject to criticism, with many calling for the two to split up.

Brown in particular has found himself in trade rumors over the years, and his co-star Tatum admitted that he could have expressed his desire to keep Brown around.

Tatum said, via Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix:

"I've always told him that maybe I could have done a better job of voicing my feelings in the public eye. He always knew that I wanted him here. I would always tell him like, 'Man, I don't get involved with any of those talks.' I never went to [Celtics president of basketball operations] Brad [Stevens] or went to any player like, 'Yo, I want this guy in, I want this guy out of here.' I show up and I want to do my job and play basketball. And looking back on in those moments, I didn't know how that could affect somebody, because I was never in that situation. I feel like maybe I could have done a better job of publicly saying, 'No, we don't want anybody, we want JB.' I just was always like, 'I want to stay out of it.'"

Being co-stars who play a similar position can be complicated for many players, but Tatum and Brown have made it work. Tatum, who entered MVP conversations this season, averaged 26.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this year, while Brown put up 23 points and 5.5 boards per game.

The two oftentimes feed off each other—if Tatum has a big night, so does Brown. Every now and then, Brown will have to make up for a bad game from Tatum and vice versa.

Now, despite calls for them to go their separate ways, Tatum and Brown have their first championship. While Brown has mostly been seen as the Robin to Tatum's Batman, he took home the Finals MVP trophy, proving that he's just as capable of being the main option.

The 2024-25 season could be a big one for both stars. Tatum has already shown he can be an MVP-caliber player, but Brown seems to be on his way to playing at a similar level.

Whatever the next year has in store for the two, Tatum will look to better support his co-star.