Jaylen Brown Denies Trade Demand Claims As Brian Scalabrine Walks Back Celtics: Report

Jaylen Brown responds to Brian Scalabrine’s claims about his departure from the Boston Celtics.© Ndtv Gallery

Jaylen Brown has firmly denied reports that he demanded a trade from the Boston Celtics before joining the Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA star responded to former Celtics player Brian Scalabrine, who claimed Brown had given Boston a list of demands and wanted to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Brown addressed the claims after Philadelphia's 114-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, making it clear that the reports were false. “I never demanded a trade. Never made a list of ultimatums. Never the sort. None of that is true,” Brown told reporters. His response comes days after Scalabrine began facing questions over his comments and later admitted that Brown had not technically demanded a trade. Brown said he now wants to focus on his new chapter in Philadelphia.

Jaylen Brown Rejects Brian Scalabrine's Trade Claims

“I guess it is what it is. I saw that. I saw Scal made some comments,” Brown told reporters after Philadelphia's win. “Never had any issues with Scal. I love Scal. But I guess he's doing what he has to do. I understand why he feels the need to do that. I have no interest in letting any false allegations follow me into my next chapter here in Philadelphia. I never demanded a trade. Never made a list of ultimatums. Never the sort. None of that is true. As of now, I'm just going to stay focused on what's in front of me in Philadelphia. I've got a tremendous opportunity, and I'm looking forward to that. So I'm just going to leave the questions for another time, but during the season I'm going to just focus on what's on hand.”

The dispute began when Scalabrine said on SiriusXM NBA Radio that Brown had presented Boston with demands and wanted a move to the Milwaukee Bucks.

“My understanding is that Jaylen Brown went to the organization and had a list of demands, and it was like, ‘You either do this or you trade me.' He was rooting to get traded to Milwaukee (Bucks),” Scalabrine said.

He later changed his wording on NBC Sports Boston.

“To be fair, after the 48 calls I fielded today, and I listened, he technically—technically—didn't demand to be traded,” Scalabrine said. “I just summed it all up. I summed up the entire word salad and kept it simple.”

Brown's representative had also rejected the original report, calling it “10,000 percent a lie.”

Jaylen Brown And Jayson Tatum's Celtics Rift Continues

The trade story has also brought renewed attention to Brown's relationship with former teammate Jayson Tatum. Brown questioned Tatum's claim that he was surprised by the trade by posting a cap emoji on social media.

Tatum later said he had no beef with Brown. Brown offered a less direct response when asked about their relationship.

“He's got a great PR team. There's no beef but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.”

Scalabrine then joked during a Celtics broadcast, “He (Tatum) must have some meatballs and marinara going on with the Bulls.”

He also took a shot at Brown's turnover numbers, saying, “Now, if I was doing PR work for Jayson Tatum, I would remind everybody who led the league in turnovers last year. But I'm not doing that.”

Brown has made clear that he wants to focus on Philadelphia rather than continue the public back-and-forth. The 76ers will host Boston on November 10, giving Brown his first regular-season meeting with his former team since the summer trade.