It hasn’t even been a full week since the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs, and the ridiculous discourse has already started up. Some of it has come about due to their disappointing showing, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Sixers in just the first round. Some of it has come on due to Jaylen Brown’s Twitch streams and rumors surrounding his future. And some of it stems from Brad Stevens’ brutally honest end-of-year press conference.
Speculation and narratives are nothing new to Celtics fans; when things don’t go right, the haters and trolls are quick to come out of hiding. But you’d think with all the team’s success, with their championship in 2024, and with Jayson Tatum’s incredible comeback from a torn achilles, that some of the noise would have quieted by now.
But that’s clearly not the case, as the worst of the worst kinds of conversations are already back in the media. On ESPN’s First Take, Alan Hahn, of the MSG Network, made the case that if the Celtics are to finally break up the Jays, they should look to trade Jayson Tatum instead of Jaylen Brown.
"If you have to break it up, it's Tatum that'd be the guy you would want to trade, not Jaylen Brown." 😳
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 7, 2026
—@alanhahn on who he would rather keep on the Celtics if they pursued a trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/utNXE9tJdI
Tatum should be only untouchable player on Celtics
The idea that the Jays should be split up has been proven to be ridiculous time and again. Having two elite two-way wings who each possess every tool in the toolbelt is basically a cheat code in the modern NBA. It doesn’t mean the roster around them is perfect, but the team’s shortcomings are seldom due to a lack of fit between the two stars.
But these days, the idea of a split feels more real than ever before. It’s just this idea that they should part with JT that’s crazy. Celtics fans rightfully love JB, but this is Tatum’s team and era. Every single roster move needs to stem from him, the most malleable player in the entire league.
If there’s a big move to be made, it’s to bring in a player (or players) to play with Tatum. He has proven to be a top-five player in the league and a guy who can be the best player on a title team. He gave his all to the team to recover from a devastating injury and come back to the Celtics.
The name of the game is building another champion around JT. Ideally, that will involve JB as well. We know the duo is good enough to reach the mountaintop; now it’s time for them to get back there again. But whether the team reaches that goal or not, it’s going to be with Jayson Tatum leading the way. As it should be.
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