PHILADELPHIA -- A representative from Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown's team told ESPN that a report that he demanded a trade or presented his former team, the Boston Celtics, with a list of demands are "10000% a lie."
The Celtics traded Brown, the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, to the Sixers this offseason for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round selections (2028, 2030).
On Monday, former player and now NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine said that Brown requested a trade from Boston, had a list of demands, and was "rooting to be traded to Milwaukee."
But Brown never requested a trade to Milwaukee, the representative said. After a deal fell through centered around forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, and Boston informed Brown he'd be traded anyway, his only request was to have input on his destination.
Scalabrine walked back his comments ahead of the Celtics game against the Bulls Monday night, saying Brown didn't "technically demand to be traded," but reiterated that Brown came to the Celtics with a list of demands.
"I don't know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was," he said. "So technically, he did not demand to be traded. It was, 'Do these things right here, or else.' And one of them might have been, 'Give me the $140 million extension.'
"I haven't gotten to the bottom of all that. I didn't even know this was going to be a thing. It's one of those things that lived in my mind for months. I finally used it because we were talking about the weirdest stuff, and now it's out there."
According to the representative, the only other request Brown made to the Celtics while he was in Boston was that both he and Jayson Tatum were treated equally.
In the last week, Brown and Tatum's relationship has made headlines.
It started when Brown created a stir on social media by posting a blue hat emoji -- a symbol for "cap," which is slang for someone lying -- on Instagram in response to Tatum saying in a video on his YouTube channel that he was "just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world" by Brown's trade.
"There's no beef. It's not about that. It should be more praise," Tatum said a day later. "I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I'm not really into that. I'm not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives."
Two days later, Brown had a different tenor. He insisted there was "no beef" between them but added that there "might be a little lamb chops and some gravy." He also repeated that Tatum had a "good PR team."
"He should stay ready at all times," Brown added.
Ahead of the Sixers' preseason matchup against the Celtics in Boston two weeks ago, Brown and Tatum worked out pregame on opposite sides of the court and didn't appear to acknowledge each other.
Brown declined to address why he posted the cap emoji under Tatum's post, instead saying he and Tatum are focused on what's ahead. Tatum said he would welcome a conversation with Brown to hash out the potential issue. Asked if he would be open to that conversation, Brown appeared to be disinterested.
"We both got so much stuff in front of us," Brown said. "So at the end of the day ... he gotta do what he's got to do for his team. I gotta do what I do for my team.
"Jayson's a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There's no beef, but it'll be a little lamb chop."
Brown and Tatum played together in Boston for nine seasons. Both were the No. 3 picks, Brown in 2016 and Tatum a year later. Together, they were one of the most successful pairings of their era, guiding the Celtics to five Eastern Conference finals appearances, two NBA Finals trips and a championship win over the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.