"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."
Media narratives quickly shifted after the transaction, with some outlets using analytical metrics like on/off splits to criticize Brown's efficiency last season, according to libertyballers.
com.
Analytics from Cleaning the Glass showed Brown's on/off splits were in the 24th percentile in the 2025-26 season, a year where his usage rate swelled to 36.2% while Tatum missed significant time recovering from a torn Achilles.
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The Philadelphia 76ers chose to prioritize the 29-year-old Brown over the 36-year-old George, while the Celtics added George alongside incoming veteran acquisitions Mike Conley and Mitchell Robinson.
