INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers forward Jaylen Brown denied he ever asked Boston to trade him over the summer, the latest simmering Celtics drama that has followed him into this season.
“I have no interest in letting any false allegations follow me into my next chapter here in Philadelphia,” Brown said Wednesday night after the Sixers beat Indiana
. “I never demanded a trade. Never made a list of ultimatums.”Former Celtics star and current broadcaster
Brian Scalabrine said this week that Brown had “demanded to be traded” by Boston over the summer. Scalabrine later walked back the report.
“As of now, I'm just going to stay focused on what's in front of me in Philadelphia. I've got a tremendous opportunity and I'm looking forward to that,” Brown said.
Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer last season, was traded to the Sixers as part of a deal that included Paul George.
Brown has already had his squabbles with former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum drag into the season.
Brown posted a social media response this month that took issue with 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 to the Philadelphia.
Brown responded on his Instagram account with a baseball cap emoji. “Cap” is slang for something that is not true.
“I don’t have any animosity or beef, or ill will towards him,” Tatum said.
Brown wasn't quite ready to call a truce with Tatum.
“There’s no beef,” Brown said last week. “There might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”
Brown said he had no plans to talk to Tatum ahead of Boston’s first visit to Philadelphia this season on Nov. 10.
Brown had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Sixers beat the Pacers 114-109 on Wednesday.
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