Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum Reportedly Had 'Heart-to-Heart' Talk in France Before Celtics-76ers Trade

With the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics set to face each other for the first time this season on Tuesday, all eyes will be on the dynamic between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

And they reportedly haven't spoken since a "heart-to-heart" conversation in France in late June.

"This was right after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Miami Heat where the Celtics offered Jaylen Brown but they missed out on it," ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday on NBA Today. "And this was also just days before Jaylen Brown's eventual trade to the 76ers. My understanding is Jaylen Brown confronted and approached Jayson Tatum at a dinner to discuss their future as a duo and where Jayson Tatum stood on all of it. 

"It was described to me as a 'heart-to-heart' between these two sides that multiple people witnessed in person. But Jaylen Brown didn't leave that conversation knowing where his future was at moving forward."

Tatum and Brown played together in Boston for nine seasons and led the storied franchise to the championship during the 2023-24 campaign. They were one of the best duos in the league for much of their time together, although Brown took on more of a leading role last season when Tatum was sidelined by injury.

Brown also won the NBA Finals MVP and Eastern Conference Finals MVP during that championship run in 2024.

Their relationship has since taken center stage following the offseason trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia and brought Paul George back to Boston.

Last month, Tatum posted a video to his YouTube channel and said he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" regarding the Brown trade. However, Brown responded to that video with a cap emoji.

Tatum was also asked about the relationship and said he "called" and "texted" Brown the day he was traded.

He also said there was no "beef or ill will" and added, "This ain't no f--king Shaq and Kobe" and added, "At this point in our lives, we're too old to be having our relationship discussed X, Y, and Z like on the internet. If there's a conversation to be had, we can definitely have that."

For his part, Brown told reporters, "I saw that he said, 'It's no beef.' And I think he's right, there's no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family, we've accomplished some great things, he's a hell of a basketball player and he's got a great PR team. It's no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times."

He continued and said, "There's no beef, it should never ever be that. It's just basketball. We're both blessed. But it might be a little lamb chop. We'll be alright."

Tuesday is the first of four regular-season matchups between the two teams. It also wouldn't be surprising if they faced each other in the Eastern Conference playoffs seeing how they are both contenders.

And the relationship will surely be part of the story every time.