Jaylen Brown will be the most motivated player in the NBA

The NBA is a business.

We often hear that phrase when a player is traded or when contract negotiations go sour. It’s true. It’s a league run by billionaires, many of them running their franchises like assets.

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You can tell players not to take it personally, but how could they not? Sure, they make millions of dollars and have the ability to live a life most of us could only dream of, but they’re human beings. And not just human beings, but human beings with extraordinary athletic talents, along with plenty of pride and ego.

So, as Brad Stevens sat at his press conference following the trade of Jaylen Brown to the rival Sixers, selling the fan base on how getting rid of Brown was best for the Boston Celtics, how the hell is Brown supposed to feel?

During his introductory press conference a couple weeks ago, Brown said all the right things. As a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (with actor Anthony Anderson filling in as host), the two-time All-NBA pick continued this level of diplomacy.

But make no mistake — Jaylen Brown will be the most motivated player in the NBA next season.

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The full NBA schedule for the 2026-27 season came out last week. Unsurprisingly, LeBron James and the new-look Sixers will feature heavily on national TV.

It felt like a no-brainer for the league to have the Sixers take on the defending champion New York Knicks at MSG on opening night. And sure, it makes sense for LeBron to return to L.A. to face the Lakers on Christmas Day.

But it was still mildly surprising for Brown’s return to Boston not to be featured in a marquee matchup. That game won’t happen until January — and you’ll need a subscription to Amazon Prime to watch it. It doesn’t exactly scream “game we definitely want people to watch” by the schedule-makers.

Brown spent a decade with the Celtics. He was a five-time All-Star and won Finals MVP when Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 2024. Add to that the offseason smear campaign Brown was the victim of before and after ultimately being traded to the rival Sixers — for what most deemed a poor return — and you have a storyline juicier than the ribeye served on…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jaylen-brown-most-motivated-player-161926962.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-20 16:19:00

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