Stephen A. Smith Accuses Jayson Tatum for Celtics' Jaylen Brown Trade originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The agendas will fly off the table if the Boston Celtics don't start playing at a higher level over the next couple of months.
The fact that it's even a conversation is flat-out ridiculous, but it shows the Celtics are on a different level than nearly every other team in the NBA.
Moving on from a guy like Jaylen Brown was bound to raise questions, but Paul George looked excellent in his Boston debut. George finished with 38 points, setting a franchise record for the most points scored in a debut.
Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers got a nice win against the defending champion New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, and he played well, too, putting up 19 points on 50% shooting. He also added eight rebounds and six assists.
Although the trade was months ago, it's still being talked about after night one. Stephen A. Smith was the latest to speak on it, throwing some shots at Jayson Tatum about the situation.
He believes that if Tatum didn't want Brown traded, it would have never happened. This topic has now been prevalent on social media over the past 24 hours or so, as Tatum struggled a bit in the opener.
"There is no way in hell that Jaylen Brown is gone, let alone traded within the division to the Philadelphia 76ers, if Jayson Tatum cares for that not to happen. If Jayson Tatum stands up, 'I don't want to lose him. What do you mean you traded him? He ain't going nowhere. I want my man here.' Jaylen Brown is still a Boston Celtic.
“The fact that he is gone is because they wanted to make it clear it was Jayson Tatum's team, and Jayson Tatum clearly did not mind," he said, H/T Clutch Points.
It's impossible to say whether Tatum had any say in Brown's trade. It's safe to say the Celtics would've at least talked to him about a situation like this, since he's their franchise superstar and played with Brown his entire career before the trade.
However, if Brad Stevens believes that something has to be done, he has full reign to do whatever he wants.