Jaylen Brown Told on Himself, Says Stephen A. Smith - and That's Why He's Gone
With Jayson Tatum sidelined for almost the entire year recovering from a torn Achilles, Jaylen Brown stepped into the No. 1 role and put together a career year, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He led the Boston Celtics to a 56-26 record and finished sixth in NBA MVP voting.
And then the wheels fell off.
Boston blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team they’ve historically owned. In four losses, the Celtics shot just 27.4% from 3-point range on 179 attempts. In Game 7, head coach Joe Mazzulla rolled out a starting lineup that had never played a minute together.
Then things got even messier with Jaylen Brown. Less than 24 hours after the loss, he hopped on a live stream and called the 2025-26 season his “favorite,” despite what many viewed as arguably the most embarrassing collapse of the postseason. The NBA hit him with a $50,000 fine for additional comments questioning the officiating. Trade rumors have been swirling ever since.
On Monday’s “First Take,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith effectively confirmed that the Brown era in Boston is over, and explained the real reason why.
“They’re considering making this move because they know that their number two or 1A, as we say, wants to be number one. That’s basically what he did. Jaylen Brown doesn’t want to fess up to the fact that he told on himself,” Smith said. “When you get bounced out in the first round of the playoffs and less than 24 hours after your season is over, when the city of Boston is mourning your team going home in the first round and you haven’t even had an opportunity to pass gas, and you’re saying that was your favorite season. Oh, that still sticks in the craw of Boston Celtics fans. They don’t like something like that.”
“He believes he should be a number one. And when he said that that was my favorite season and most of it was played without Jayson Tatum, that’s what he was saying because he was that dude, and the team relied on him, no matter what he says. That’s how it comes across. And if you’re the Boston Celtics, after him saying all of that, you can’t come back to the next season with him,” Smith added.
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The market is already heating up quickly. NBA insider Marc Stein reported last week that the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Atlanta Hawks have all expressed interest in Brown.
Many view the Rockets as the most logical fit, pairing him with Kevin Durant as a secondary shot maker and reuniting him with his former Celtics coach, Ime Udoka.
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But the blockbuster trade everybody is waiting for is with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Check out what Windy said below:
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed on “Get Up” on Monday morning that the Celtics have officially put Brown in a firm trade offer for Giannis, with the deal potentially happening before Tuesday’s NBA Draft.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 9:09 AM.