Jaylen Brown Has Added Even More Fuel To The Fire By Liking An Instagram Comment That Suggests The Celtics Trade Him To A City That Respects Him

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Once we reach this time of year, it can be hard to know what and who to believe. Every day brings some sort of "report" with contradicting information, and you never really know what's actually true and what's not which makes the whole process very exhausting.

When it comes to the drama surrounding Jaylen Brown, there are a few voices that in my opinion, hold more weight than others. I look at someone like Bill Simmons, who has been pretty on the money since the very beginning of all this. He was firm the Celtics made an offer back when nobody really could confirm it, and as we know, they did. He was adamant they only made one and didn't go back and forth, and as we know, that's what they did. On this subject, his voice is one that I think has earned the right to be taken seriously.

The next, is Adam Himmelsbach. As a general rule, you wait for Himmelsbach, because that's what is most likely coming directly from the team. He doesn't do the hot takes, he doesn't do the speculation or any of that. He just gives us the news or at least an "inside" look at how they may be thinking. 

And finally, there is Jaylen himself. What he does and says during all of this matters too.

I bring all of this up because part of what we as fans have to do is read in between the lines and put the pieces of information together like it's a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Somehow, the bits and pieces of information from different places fit together to tell us the real story

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On his latest podcast with Zach Lowe, Simmons talked about how he had heard rumblings that while in Paris, Jaylen had voiced some frustrations about everything going on. I found that to be notable given his knowledge of the Giannis offer. It's not crazy to assume that might be the case, so as we continue to hear about rumors and different things, I always had that in the back of my mind.

Next up, was Himmelsbach. Adam had been relatively quiet on the Jaylen Brown trade front up until this point, and then today he finally dropped his first column about it

While some of it consisted of things we already knew or could have at least put together based on all the smoke going around, there was one part in particular that you couldn't help but notice as you made your way down the piece

League sources said that the Celtics have continued to field calls from teams interested in trading for Brown. A league source said that Brown has grown frustrated with the organization’s approach following a season in which he guided the Celtics to 56 wins while Jayson Tatum was sidelined for months with an Achilles injury.

Sounds a lot like what Simmons was referencing does it not? And that's coming from Himmelsbach, which is a little different than say, any talking head at ESPN who might be saying the same thing. I am of the belief that both Simmons and Himmelsbach are not making that up, and if you're hearing it in those two places, In think we can treat it as fact.

This also kind of hints at the idea that there was no trade request from Jaylen before the Giannis offer. If he wanted out, why would he be frustrated with the process of trading him? That part I found interesting as well. I think that sort of ends the idea that maybe both sides were open to a trade, right? Is it safe to assume the team wanted to move him and the player didn't want to be moved, if we're to believe that reporting?

Which brings us to tonight, following the release of that article. 

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I mean what else is there to say? I do not think Jaylen got hacked here. If this were any other player on any other team, what would I say? That this is basically them making a public trade demand. I don't know how else to read that. It certainly confirms the reporting by both Simmons and Himmelsbach that he's apparently frustrated with everything going on, and it's why at this point on June 29th, I can't imagine there isn't a trade. 

Personally, I'll always believe in keeping the Jays together. It's the best duo in the NBA. And I get that those same reports also mentioned that there may be a pathway back now that the value on the market isn't there, but I just don't see it. That's not usually how these things go in the NBA. Once you reach this stage, up next comes the Shams bomb.

It's all just so surreal that this is even happening. What was supposed to be a lost season was one of the more surprising seasons in the league. Jaylen had a great year, all the role players hit, Jayson Tatum somehow came back and looked VERY much like pre-injury Jayson Tatum. It was a dream. Then they got up 3-1 and everything since had gone to complete hell. Now, it sure as shit looks like Jaylen Brown is going to be traded. When you think of everything that has happened since their title in 2024, it almost doesn't even feel real

This situation is why you can question why the hell Brad didn't do what it took to close Giannis. There had to be a middle ground between adding nothing and adding every pick + Hugo. Now, what's left? What is the plan from here? Because at the moment, this seems like a generational fumble no matter how it shakes out.