For the second time in eight months, Jaylen Brown finds himself at the center of trade rumors involving Kevin Durant. On ESPN Monday, Stephen A. Smith said the Celtics are placing calls for Durant, and Brown’s name has been discussed.
“By the way, I'm hearing he's on the verge of potentially being moved,” he said. “Obviously, we've all been speculating about that, that he may be moved. I'm on the phone. I'm hearing Boston is making some calls. Keep an eye on that — Jaylen Brown. Keep your eye on that.”
Adam jones opens up about his big move to weei
Brown went through this routine last summer. While the Nets wound up keeping Durant, it’s apparent some of the discussion bothered Brown. Back in June, he “liked” a tweet that said he’s “so disrespected by Celtics fans.”
In a recent cover story for SLAM, Brown hints that it’s been a trying year, though he doesn’t delve into much detail.
When discussing his now-famous tweet last January about how the “energy is about to shift,” which served as a precursor to the Celtics’ incredible second-half run, Brown mentions his inner-struggles.
“It’s been almost a full year since then, but Brown admits that he’s been tested “on different levels physically, emotionally and mentally” lately, too, but won’t go into too much detail on the latter,” writes author Deyscha Smith.
Earlier in the story, Brown addresses how he felt about Celtics fans booing him during the 2016 NBA Draft, when he was selected No. 3 overall. “They booed me,” he said. “Wyc [Grousbeck] was calling my name and he’s up there saying, Jaylen, he’s gonna be one of the best players the city has ever seen. He’s up there, like, defending the pitch. We’re sticking with it, y’all get over it. This is who we’re going with.”
Brown has recounted his experience at draft night before. In an interview last year with Sports Illustrated, he said he’s turned the boos into motivation.
“It’s kind of trended like that my whole career,” he said. “People in Boston that thought I was a bust, ever since have been kind of waiting to prove themselves right, in a sense, because that’s what humans do. But I’m not a bust. I keep getting better every year.”
That’s certainly true. Brown is averaging a career-best 27 points per game this season, along with 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He was a late scratch Monday for Boston’s win over the Suns. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown is battling an illness; but of course, the rumors will persist until the NBA trade deadline Thursday.
Once again, Brown appears to be hearing them.