Jayson Tatum reflected on the "abrupt ending" of his longtime partnership with former Celtics co-star Jaylen Brown on Tuesday night, admitting that "it's weird" to be going into next season without him.
Brown was officially traded this week to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round selections, a move that has left many stunned. Speaking publicly about the deal for the first time at a Q&A to promote an upcoming book, Tatum said he was appreciative of his time partnering with Brown.
"You play on a team with a guy for nine years," Tatum said, according to CelticsBlog. "I was fortunate enough to go to the [NBA] Finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today.
"... It's tough. But it just makes you appreciate the moments and time that we had. Obviously, it came to an abrupt ending, but it doesn't mean that it wasn't super successful. Great years, obviously, that he gave to the city and to the organization."
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens explained the reasoning behind the trade, saying Monday that the franchise was aiming for optionality that was hard to pull off given the combined salaries of Tatum and Brown.
"The NBA is an incredible business; it's an incredible job, but there are some downsides to the business and moments like this, where you just kind of feel like you're going to be on the team with somebody, because that's all you know," Tatum said. "And then it's just like, one day you find out that they're no longer on your team anymore. And, we're all humans. We feel all those emotions."
Tatum also said he was ready to welcome the new additions to the Celtics roster -- namely George and veterans Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson -- and "move forward with them."
