Celtics' Joe Mazzulla finally speaks on stunning Jaylen Brown trade

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the team’s Summer League practice on Thursday that he was “still processing” the trade of Jaylen Brown to the division rival Sixers, writes Jay King of The Athletic.

“When something like that happens, it’s not a black-and-white type of thing,” Mazzulla said. “The part that I hope gets talked about more, and the part that we really want to focus on the most, is really just the respect, the appreciation and the gratitude for what he did for the Celtics for 10 years.

“He was a Celtic longer than I have been. He was here before me. He set the tone and started that, and was a part of special things, and continued that, and obviously was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to be as successful as we have been. So that to me is what we have to focus on more: The respect as a competitor and the gratitude for what he’s done.”

According to King, Brown had a much different reaction to the trade when he appeared on IShowSpeed’s stream on Thursday.

“I just got traded. … They packed me up, bro. It’s a crazy business, bro. Don’t become a basketball player,” Brown said. “There’s no loyalty. There’s no love.”

When IShowSpeed asked Brown what happened, he replied: “That’s a real good question. I think a lot of people wanna hear that — they asking that question right now. I don’t know. I got packed up. They packed me up, ‘Sayonara.’ … I’m outta here.”

Mazzulla said he was in communication with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens in the lead-up to the deal but he didn’t provide any input on the decision to trade Brown, per King.

“Not input, just Brad comes to you and talks to you and gives you a breakdown and an understanding,” Mazzulla said. “And in moments like this, obviously, there’s great alignment within the organization, and there’s conversations that are always going to be had. But I think in moments like this, this is where you just trust, you listen, you trust, and you have an understanding for what they do. I think Brad has been the absolute best at what he does and there’s just a level of trust that goes into that.”

Now that the duo of Jayson Tatum and Brown has been split up after six conference finals appearances and a championship in 2024, Mazzulla said the team will have to forge a new identity, King notes. Boston acquired Paul George and a handful of draft assets for Brown and added Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley in free agency.

“We have a different roster,” Mazzulla said. “We have a different identity now. I think there’s been a clear identity in the last 10 years with the roster that we have, especially the cornerstones of the organization, and now that identity is a little bit different. So the challenge lies in how do we create that identity? How do we establish that identity? And then how do we end our season on a win? Which is really hard to do, but that’s the challenge.”

Mazzulla also talked about the Celtics’ disappointing first-round playoff exit after a 56-win regular season and said the Brown deal made him emotional, calling it a “difficult” moment, but that he was grateful for all Brown and the team accomplished together, King adds.