Jayson Tatum posts farewell message to Jaylen Brown after Celtics-76ers trade

Jayson Tatum is breaking his silence about the blockbuster trade that sent Jaylen Brown, his Boston Celtics teammate of nearly a decade, to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"The Jays" won an NBA title in 2024 and made the playoffs every year they were together. Boston drafted Brown in 2016 and Tatum in 2017.

"9 years! Forever grateful for all that we accomplished together, for pushing me to be a better player," Tatum said Friday in an Instagram story.

In their final year together, Brown led the team for much of the season and put up career-best numbers while Tatum recovered from an Achilles injury. It ended with a disappointing first-round loss to Philadelphia, but Tatum said he was grateful for all the ups and downs.

"From first round exits to winning a chip together I'm thankful for it all," Tatum said. 

There was plenty of speculation about Brown's future with the Celtics and his relationship with Tatum toward the end of his time in Boston. Brown did not mention Tatum in comments on a Twitch live stream Thursday when he talked about the trade, but said he felt "a lack of respect" from the organization that "packed me up."

Tatum kept things positive in his message, telling Brown to "continue to be special!"

"Nothing but love and respect for you as a player and as a person!" Tatum wrote. "Looking forward to see how you attack this next chapter of your career and wish nothing but the best for you!"