Everything Jaylen Brown Said About Celtics Trade, LeBron James at 76ers Press Conference

The Boston Celtics' decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason was so surprising that the star player himself is "still processing to some degree."

That is what Brown said Thursday during his press conference, adding "it's been a lot of emotions."

He also told reporters he threw his phone across the room when he first learned Boston traded him. That is notable since ESPN's Shams Charania reported at the time Brown did not request a trade or ask to be moved from Boston despite all the speculation he might be this offseason.

Brown's comments about the trade Thursday echo his first public statement that was issued last month when he said he was "still processing how this all went down" before adding "saying goodbye isn't easy when you've invested your heart into something. I'm big on respect and actions speak louder than words."

On Thursday, the five-time All-Star also shifted his attention toward the upcoming season with the 76ers and said, "winning is the agenda. It's the first thing on my mind."

He also expressed an excitement to learn from LeBron James and told reporters he plans to "soak up as much information as I can and apply it to myself."

Those comments were similar to ones he made on a Twitch stream:

There is no shortage of star power in Philadelphia with Brown, James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the roster. The cliche that there is only one ball could come into play with so many playmakers on the floor at the same time, but Brown told reporters Thursday, "it doesn't have to be anybody's team. We just have to be a team of respect."

Such comments stood out when juxtapositioned against the ones he made about his relationship with Jayson Tatum from when they were in Boston together.

Brown said he feels "respect" toward Tatum even though they have "not really" talked since the trade. He also said the relationship had its "ups and downs" before wishing his fellow teammate well:

Tatum and Brown accomplished plenty during their time with the Celtics, and the latter departs with a resume that includes a championship, NBA Finals MVP, an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, two All-NBA selections and five All-Star nods.

With Tatum sidelined for much of the 2025-26 campaign, Brown took on the leading role and finished with career-highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1) per game as an All-NBA Second Team selection who finished sixth in MVP voting.

He turned heads earlier this offseason when he said it was his "favorite" season, which was rather surprising considering Tatum was sidelined for much of it and the duo won a championship together in 2023-24.

Still, Brown took jumps as an individual playmaker and will now look to lead the 76ers to a championship of their own.