‘I Never Demanded A Trade’: Philadelphia 76ers’ Jaylen Brown Denies Brian Scalabrine’s Claim He Requested Trade From Boston Celtics
INDIANAPOLIS — After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday (10/28), Jaylen Brown told reporters that he did not request a trade from the Boston Celtics this offseason.
Brown said Brian Scalabrine‘s claim that he requested a trade from the Celtics is not true.
“I never demanded a trade,” Brown said. “I never made a list of ultimatums. None of the sort. None of that is true. But as of now, I’m just gonna stay focused on what’s in front of me here in Philadelphia. I have a tremendous opportunity, and I’m looking forward to that. So I’m just going to leave the questions for another time. But during the season, I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me.”
Scalabrine, who works for NBC Sports Boston, said Brown requested a trade from the Celtics, had a list of demands and was “rooting to be traded to Milwaukee.”
Boston tried to trade Brown to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant in 2022 and offered the 2024 Finals MVP to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was traded to the Miami Heat.
“Yeah, I mean, I guess it is what it is,” Brown said. “I’ve never had any issues with Scal. I love Scal. But I guess he’s doing what he has to do. I can understand why he feels the need to do that. But I have no interest of letting any false allegations follow me into my next chapter here in Philadelphia.”
Beef Between Tatum And Brown?
Brown created a stir on social media by posting a blue hat emoji — a symbol for “cap,” which is slang for someone lying — on Instagram in response to Jayson Tatum saying in a video on his YouTube channel that he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by Brown’s trade to the 76ers.
Many people believe Brown and Tatum had beef and that Tatum played a role in the Brown trade.
“There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise,” Tatum said after the Celtics beat the New York Knicks on October 23. “I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I’m not really into that. I’m not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives.”
Brown had a different tenor after the 76ers defeated the Bucks on October 24.
“We both got so much stuff in front of us,” Brown said. “So at the end of the day … he got to do what he’s got to do for his team. I got to do what I do for my team. Jayson’s a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There’s no beef, but it’ll be a little lamb chop. … He should stay ready at all times.”
The 76ers host the Celtics on November 10.
Brown’s Contract And Stats
Brown is making $57.1 million this season. He signed a five-year, $285 million extension with the Celtics in 2023.
One year later, Boston won the championship against the Dallas Mavericks in five games, with Brown winning Finals MVP.
Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for the Celtics last season. Boston won 56 games and was the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs despite Tatum missing the first 62 games of the regular season recovering from his Achilles tendon tear.
A five-time All-Star, Brown put up 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the Celtics-76ers 2026 first-round playoff series. Tatum didn’t play in Game 7, and Boston blew a 3-1 series lead to Philadelphia.
Brown finished his Celtics career with averages of 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in the regular season and 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in the playoffs.
For the 4-1 76ers this season, Brown is putting up 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
