“A straight-up PR move”: Emotional fans rip Jayson Tatum's goodbye message to Jaylen Brown after 9 seasons together

Jayson Tatum finally addressed the Jaylen Brown trade on Friday. He posted a farewell message to his former Celtics running mate two days after Boston shipped Brown to Philadelphia.

The nine-year partnership between the two ended with Tatum breaking a lengthy public silence through an Instagram story rather than a face-to-face statement.The timing and tone of the post set off an immediate wave of fan backlash. Many Celtics fans felt the message arrived too late and read as more calculated than heartfelt, especially since Brown himself had already spoken about the trade without mentioning Tatum at all.

Jayson Tatum drops goodbye message for Jaylen Brown following Celtics-76ers trade

Tatum shared a photo of himself and Brown from earlier in their careers, pairing it with a lengthy caption reflecting on their run together. He wrote that he was "forever grateful for all that we accomplished together," referencing the pair's shared history from early playoff exits through their 2024 championship run. Tatum closed the message by wishing Brown well in Philadelphia and telling him to "continue to be special.

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The post was Tatum's first public comment since Brown was traded on Wednesday. Brown had already addressed the deal a day earlier during a livestream, saying he "wasn't thrilled with the amount of respect that was shown throughout this process." Notably, Brown did not mention Tatum by name in that stream or in his own social media statement, a detail that fueled speculation about the state of their relationship heading into the trade.

Why are fans criticizing Jayson Tatum for his goodbye message for Jaylen Brown?

Reaction on social media split, with a large share of fans reading Tatum's tribute as hollow given the circumstances. Miami Heat fan account (@MiaHeatTilDeath) captured the skepticism directly, writing that the timing "seems like a straight up PR move."Others took issue with the substance of the message itself. Harry Burns (@HarryBurnsLive) mocked the wording, saying it "reads like a LinkedIn recommendation for a guy he met once in an elevator."

A user posting as PropKitchen (@PropKitchen) focused less on Tatum's words and more on the trade itself, still stunned that Boston "traded their best player to the team that beat them" in the playoffs.Some fans went further, questioning whether Tatum played a role in pushing Brown out. Sofia (@sofia_amber_b) wrote she couldn't help but "wonder if this was mutual or if one side forced the conversation." Another user going by Elite 80 (@Darkphantom2619) was more pointed, arguing Tatum is "happy that dude is gone" given Brown's standout season without him.

Not every reaction sided against Tatum, though frustration with the Celtics organization as a whole ran through much of the discussion, including basement crew (@tweeto58), who suggested the team is "so cooked" it should consider moving on from Tatum too.

Why did the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown?

The breakup traces back to a turbulent stretch that began when Boston explored trading Brown as part of a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo before those talks fell apart and the Bucks star landed with Miami instead.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens kept Brown on the trade block afterward, and conversations that reportedly started out routine grew more strained as the offseason progressed.Brown was coming off the best individual season of his career, posting career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while Tatum missed most of the year recovering from a torn Achilles. Despite that production, Boston moved on from the 2024 Finals MVP for Paul George and draft compensation that includes two first-round picks and two second-round picks, a return several rival executives have publicly called light for a player of Brown's caliber.Stevens and Celtics owner Bill Chisholm are expected to face questions directly when they meet with reporters Monday to formally discuss the trade. Until then, the gap between Tatum's public tribute and Brown's public silence will keep fueling speculation about what really happened behind the scenes in Boston.