Jaylen Brown's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers remains the most shocking move of the NBA offseason. The 29-year-old was coming off his best statistical season and has won a championship alongside Jayson Tatum, so the proof of concept in Boston was sound.
The deal didn't come out of nowhere, though. Rumors of a rift between Brown and Tatum have lingered for a while now, as they have somewhat duplicative skillsets as go-to wing scorers who want the ball in their hands in big moments.
During their NBA Finals matchup in 2024, then-Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Brown was the Celtics' best player -- a controversial opinion at the time. Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins said on Gilbert Arenas' podcast recently that he believes Kidd was "playing
mind games" with his comment, and that it eventually led to Brown and Tatum's split.
"J Kidd really started this (expletive)," Cousins said. "The whole downfall of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, that was J Kidd."
We'll likely never know the full truth behind Brown and Tatum's split, but it's a fascinating theory from Cousins.
Is DeMarcus Cousins still in the NBA?
No. He last played for the Denver Nuggets in 2022.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ex-NBA star reveals wild theory for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown split
