Why would the Celtics ever break up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown?

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the most accomplished duo of their NBA generation. There, I’ve said it, and I don’t think it should be all that controversial.

My question, then: Why would anyone want to break the Jays apart?

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In nine seasons together, the Boston Celtics teammates have been to five Eastern Conference finals and a pair of NBA Finals, winning the title as a tandem in 2024. What other duo this decade can make those same claims? I’ll wait for your answer.

Just look at the other champions since 2020 …

The NBA’s championship All-Star tandems of the 2020s.

(Ben Rohrbach)

2020 Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James belongs to an older generation, one mostly of mercenaries, jumping from team to team in search of hastily made championships. He found his fourth in L.A. with Anthony Davis, a pairing that lasted five-plus seasons and resulted in the one title, that single Finals appearance and two conference finals.

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2021 Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton reached two conference finals and won a championship in almost 12 seasons together. The Bucks traded an injury-plagued Middleton, and Antetokounmpo’s team was no better for it.

2022 Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were the duo that persisted in LeBron’s generation, and it bore four championships, though they began their run before Tatum and Brown were even drafted, winning first in 2015. This was their last, and it came courtesy of these Celtics in a series Tatum and Brown will rue.

2023 Denver Nuggets: Out West, where the sledding is harder, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray have been to two West finals and won this title in 10 seasons together. Any trade in Denver but Jokić is on the table this summer, including one of Murray.

2024 Boston Celtics: Tatum and Brown, they did it. And when Brown received the Finals MVP trophy, he said, “I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way, so we share this s*** together.”

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2025 Oklahoma City Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams won a title in just their third season…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/why-would-the-celtics-ever-break-up-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown-184805905.html

Author : Ben Rohrbach

Publish date : 2026-05-14 18:48:00

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