Brad Stevens Responds To Report On Jaylen Brown’s “Frustration” With Celtics

Tracy McGrady is suggesting that Jaylen Brown has become frustrated with the Celtics in the wake of their first-round playoff ouster, but president of basketball operations Brad Stevens hasn’t seen anything to make him believe that’s true, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

McGrady, a studio analyst for NBC Sports, made the claim Wednesday morning on his Cousins podcast with Vince Carter (YouTube link). The comments carry extra weight because McGrady has served as a mentor for Brown and is presumably tied into thinking regarding the team.

“I think his frustration lies deeply within the organizations and other things that we don’t really have the details to,” McGrady said. “It’s just been a lot of stuff that I’ve been hearing just going on with the Boston organization, with JB. I think part of him is like, ‘I showed you guys more of who I am as a basketball player.’

“Not only just what I did on the basketball court but the leadership that I displayed within this team and you’ve seen that. Not having our best player in (Jayson Tatum). You’ve seen a different side of me and what I’m able to bring to the game of basketball. All that stuff just came into play with him and his frustration.”

With Tatum sidelined until early March while recovering from a torn Achilles, Brown was asked to carry more of the scoring load and responded with the best season of his 10-year career. He posted career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games, placing him in contention for first-team All-NBA honors.

He recently raised eyebrows in Boston by calling this his favorite season, even though the Celtics, who won the NBA title two years ago, failed to advance in the playoffs.

Speaking Wednesday at his end-of-season press conference, Stevens said Brown hasn’t offered any indication of being unhappy.

“I talked to Jaylen Monday a little bit, after he just, real quickly, and was nothing but positive,” Stevens said. “He has not expressed those frustrations to me.”

Brown is under contract for three more seasons, so he wouldn’t have much leverage to force a trade even if McGrady’s claims are true. Brown will earn $58.5MM, $62.8MM and $67.1MM before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2029.

Stevens added that he’s willing to meet with Brown and talk through any problems, Robb adds.

“We’ve been here 10 years together, and I do think that, obviously I love JB,” Stevens said. “Everybody around here loves JB, and I think just like any of our other guys, as we get to the end of the season, I’ll be here, and my door is always open. And if anybody ever wants to come in and talk about it, and talk about their team, their place, whatever the case may be, I’m all ears.

“And that would be one through 16, not just Jaylen, not just Jayson, not just the guys that have been here. I think it’s really important to be available. So I certainly am, and none of that has been expressed to me.”