Jaylen Brown creates more doubt about his future in Boston with latest comments

If the Boston Celtics are going to win an NBA championship with both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it might be 2023 or bust.

That’s because Brown continues to make comments about his time with the Celtics that are, let’s say, less than flattering about the city. His latest batch of concerning quotes come in a feature story on him by The Ringer’s Logan Murdock.

It paints a picture of a man with ambitions that seem to transcend basketball, but even when you keep it to just the basketball, Brown sounds like he wants to attain his goals somewhere other than Boston.

• Murdock framed one of the most damning comments as an answer to a question about “whether [Brown] wants to stay in Boston long term.” Here’s what Brown said:

  “I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me. We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correct.”

  Brown could’ve said something generic. Straight-up lied. So it’s actually refreshing honesty from him. But a concerning reality for Boston and the Celtics: Brown doesn’t seem to feel wanted around here.

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  Feb 23, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (24) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

• You could even take this all the way back to last July, when Brown infamously threw a “like” on a tweet that argued he “is so disrespected by Celtics fans.” Brown turned the Twitter Like Heard ‘Round The World into his true, on-the-record feelings in another recent profile piece, here at the New York Times.

  Ostensibly, Brown feels disrespected by fans who are less accepting of his outspoken nature when it comes to social and political issues.

  “It’s not the whole Celtic fan base, but it is a part of the fan base that exists within the Celtic nation that is problematic,” he said in the New York Times. “If you have a bad game, they tie it to your personal character. … I definitely think there’s a group or an amount within the Celtic nation that is extremely toxic and does not want to see athletes use their platform, or they just want you to play basketball and entertain and go home. And that’s a problem to me.”

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  Jan 1, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) prior to the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

• Brown’s actual beliefs remain relatively nebulous. Whatever they are, he’s certainly entitled to express them. But, speaking of toxic, he’s not helping his cause by being so closely aligned with two of the most controversial figures in all of entertainment these days, Kanye West and Kyrie Irving. Brown cut ties with “Ye” and his brand, Donda Sports, but he is apparently closer than ever with Irving.

  Brown admitted in the Ringer story that he and Irving “didn’t really see eye to eye” – “really, at all” – when the latter played for the Celtics. But he’s singing a much different tune now. And just for the purposes of Brown’s future (or lack thereof) with the Celtics, it sounds like Irving is getting in his ear.

  “He reached out to me, kind of let me know what his experience was when he was in Boston, what he was feeling,” Brown said of Irving in The Ringer. “And I understood what he was going through personally. So, life is a journey. We all got ups and downs. And most of all, we don’t always handle everything in the perfect media-appropriate demeanor. Kyrie, one thing about him, he going to be who he is. I appreciate that.”

  

  BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 16: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics embraces Jaylen Brown #7 after the Celtics defeat the Golden State Warriors 92-88 at TD Garden on November 16, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• That right there is why Brown gravitated to Kyrie and “Ye” in the first place. He’s a march-to-your-own-beat guy. He doesn’t view his purpose in life as purely about basketball, and he certainly doesn’t have as much interest in just having a “personal brand,” as having something even greater.

  Nothing wrong with that. But if Brown is going to continue to express strong opinions about sensitive topics and hot-button issues that transcend sports, he’s going to have to expect the occasional blowback. And if he thinks he will avoid that by simply leaving Boston, he might be in for a rude awakening of sorts.

  But again, keeping it to just the basketball and the Celtics … Brown is signed only through next season. But if his distaste for Boston is strong enough – we now have two big feature stories within a week of each other, and neither of them paint Boston in a particularly good light – perhaps Brown decides he wants out this year, rather than next.

  That’s why the Celtics’ championship window with their All-Star duo may have shrunk down to one summer. And this comes as the Celtics are just 5-6 in their last 11 games as they stumble toward the finish line of the regular season. They’d better figure it out on the court soon, because they may be a few short months away from a new era for the team, one without No. 7.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.