'Grateful' Jayson Tatum finally addresses Jaylen Brown trade

For the first time in his NBA career, Jayson Tatum will have to do most of the heavy lifting.

He spent his entire nine-year career playing alongside Jaylen Brown, but with him gone, the Boston Celtics are now more than ever his team. There were some rumblings about Tatum's apparent silence on the trade. Brown even said some of the younger players reached out to him, but he didn't mention Tatum, leaving the door open to speculation.

That's why, in an appearance on "TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle," the Celtics star shut down the rumors of any potential feud between the two.

Jayson Tatum says he's grateful for his time with Jaylen Brown

“There was a period in our career where we hadn't won a championship yet, but in retrospect, we were only 23 and 21 years old, so the expectations were so high that they just had to figure out a reason why we hadn't won yet,” Tatum said. “They tried to pit us against each other.” 

After walking down memory lane, the star forward tipped his hat to his former teammate and claimed to be grateful for their time together.

“The truth is, we had 9 amazing years together. We went to the finals twice; we won a championship. I'll forever be grateful for those memories and the time that we spent together,” he continued.

Well, better late than never. He didn't do it on social media — which he's not obligated to do — and it may not have been enough to appease the rumors, but there it is. At the end of the day, only Brown and he know the type of relationship they had, and the rest of the world can only speculate.

Whatever the case, it's hard to believe the Celtics will be a better team without one of their best players, and that first matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers will definitely be must-watch television.