Scalabrine walks back claims that Jaylen Brown demanded trade from Celtics

The recent back-and-forth between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum took an unexpected turn involving Brian Scalabrine, a former Celtics player and 2008 champion. Now a TV analyst for Boston and a host on SiriusXM's The Starting Lineup, Scalabrine walked back his claims that Brown had demanded a trade if the front office failed to meet a series of demands, allegedly seeking a move to the Bucks in a deal involving Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Scalabrine went even further, claiming Brown had approached a Celtics teammate to ask if they would be willing to be included in the deal and join him in Milwaukee.

The saga began last Thursday when Brown responded with a cap emoji—suggesting dishonesty—to an Instagram video of Tatum discussing his reaction to Brown being traded to the Sixers.

The following night, Tatum told the media there was no rift between them: "This ain't f---ing Shaq and Kobe, there is no beef." On Saturday, Brown also downplayed any direct conflict, though with a touch of irony: "No beef, but there might be some lamb chops and gravy." Brown also remarked that Tatum has "a great PR team."

However, on Monday, Scalabrine stated on his SiriusXM show that Brown had "demanded to be traded" from the Celtics, claiming the request was made "not through the media, but to the organization." The analyst added: "If you're actually doing that and you're saying Tatum is the one lying, your whole premise is a lie."

Brown's camp quickly pushed back. A representative for the wing—who was ultimately traded to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George—told ESPN's Kris Rhim that Scalabrine's report was "10,000% a lie." The source clarified that after the Celtics informed Brown of their plans to move him, his "only request was to have input on his destination," a detail also reported by Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Faced with the denial, Scalabrine softened his stance ahead of NBC Sports Boston's broadcast of the Celtics' 134-99 win over the Bulls at TD Garden. While walking back his earlier remarks, he maintained that the wing had made a series of demands.

"I don't know what the ultimatum was, what the demands were, or whatever. So technically, he didn't demand a trade. It was more like, 'Do this or else...' And one of those demands might have been, 'Give me the $140 million extension.' I haven't gotten to the bottom of it. I didn't even know this was going to turn into a thing. It's just one of those things stuck in my head for months. I brought it up because we were talking about wild stuff, and now here we are. I tried to summarize everything, boiling down that messy talk to keep it simple, but I guess that's what got me into trouble," Scalabrine admitted.

Tatum and Brown spent nine seasons together in Boston after both were selected third overall in their respective drafts—Brown in 2016 and Tatum in 2017. Together, they led the franchise to five Eastern Conference Finals, two NBA Finals appearances (2021-22 and 2023-24), and the 2023-24 championship against the Mavericks, a postseason run in which Brown earned both Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP honors.