Jaylen Brown Reveals NBA Legend Convinced Him Not to Ask for Celtics Trade in New Video

A conversation with Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady helped convince Jaylen Brown not to ponder an exit from the Boston Celtics following the 2018-19 season.

In the most recent episode of his Cousins podcast with Vince Carter, McGrady prompted Brown to recount the meeting they had in Houston shortly after the 2019 playoffs. (The conversation begins at the 40:15 mark.)

"And I'm so grateful for that time and I'm grateful to this day for you opening up your crib to me and just coming to be able to kick it with the fam and just ask questions and get some good advice about how I should look at the next couple years and how I should think about and where my mind should be at at the time," Brown said (via HoopsHype).

The five-time All-Star seemingly alluded to having doubts at the time about whether Boston was his best long-term it.

"We spent a couple days just working out and talking, having some food, and he's telling me like, I'm thinking like one thing and he's thinking like, nah, you need to stay, it's going to be you," Brown said. "He's telling me all the stuff that all just manifested itself. So, I can't even like, it's crazy looking back on it now."

McGrady said he wanted to offer Brown some wisdom because he could take a dispassionate view of the situation.

"I just felt like in that moment I had to be a voice of reason because I know when you're actually in it, there's different emotions," McGrady said. "I don't have those emotions. I'm not attached to that, so I see something totally different that you're probably blinded by."

McGrady made the point that Brown didn't have a better setup than what existed with the Celtics.

That assessment was ultimately proven true with Boston winning the 2024 NBA Finals and Brown being named Finals MVP.

The triumph had to feel extra sweet because of the journey the 6'6" wing had taken. He went from being a role player as a rookie in 2016-17 to emerging as a critical piece in the Celtics' overall vision. He had also been included in too many hypothetical trades to count whenever the team was linked with a big star.

The futures of both Brown and Boston might've been a lot different if any of those trades had happened or he tried to press the issue.