The Jaylen Brown blockbuster didn’t just cost the Celtics an All-NBA star. It appeared to have exposed a deeper fracture inside the organization. It may have been avoided. As details continue to emerge following JB’s move to the 76ers, the conversation has shifted from the trade itself to the relationships that unraveled behind the scenes. And most importantly, whether Jayson Tatum had the power to stop it.

“Things clearly got extraordinarily sideways between Jaylen Brown and the power brokers in the Celtics organization,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said in conversation with Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective. 

It immediately prompted Windhorst to raise a bigger question about the people involved with the power brokers. 

“Are you including Jayson Tatum in there? Jayson Tatum could have stopped this, don’t you think?” Windhorst asked.

MacMahon quickly clarified that he wasn’t suggesting that Tatum pushed for the trade. However, he made it clear that the Celtics’ star forward carried enough influence to halt the trade if he had stepped in.

“If Jason Tatum throws himself in front of the train, they’re slamming on the brakes,” MacMahon said. 

That’s not a small claim. The Celtics had already declared Tatum the one player entirely off-limits in any trade discussion this offseason. The organizational cornerstone around whom every decision is built. A player with that kind of institutional protection carries institutional leverage in return. He didn’t need to call a press conference. A conversation with Brad Stevens would have been enough.

Tatum also has history on his side. Earlier in his career, he deferred – learning under Kyrie Irving, waiting his turn, letting the veterans set the tone. That era ended with the 2024 championship. By 2026, Tatum had become exactly the kind of franchise anchor whose blessing or silence shapes front office decisions. The version of Tatum who couldn’t stop anything was a 21-year-old rookie.

Insider Bill Simmons questioned why JT never publicly backed Brown amid the heated trade speculations.

Simmons also pointed out that Tatum didn’t appear on Brown’s Twitch, which the latter promised to feature.

Intentional or not, Tatum’s silence has become part of the story.

But Windhorst didn’t stop there. He revealed the internal evaluation that likely landed as a more personal blow to Brown than the trade itself.

“The Celtics did not feel that Jaylen had the best season on their team,” Windhorst said. “I don’t mean Jayson Tatum. They felt that Derrick White had a better season. Despite the fact that he had a poor shooting season.”

That is the stunning detail buried in this whole saga- and the one that reframes everything. Brown finished sixth in MVP voting, averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game and carrying a Tatum-less roster to second in the East. By any public measure, it was the defining season of his career. Internally, the Celtics saw it differently

Despite a poor shooting year (39.4% FG), White’s plus-minus (+598), low turnover rate and ability to elevate teammates aligned more with the front office. It even outweighed Brown’s high-volume scoring and his MVP campaign. Notably, JB’s plus-minus stood at +321.

Which makes what came next all the more jarring. While insiders were piecing together a story of fractured relationships and a trade that could have been avoided, the Celtics front office was doing something else entirely: celebrating.

According to TNT’s Chris Haynes, the organization is “pleased” with the return and considers this deal their “super move.”

“This was their super move right here, and they feel really good about how they positioned themselves; they like the structure of their roster next season,” Haynes reported.

Adding that Boston is unlikely to make further significant changes beyond moves around the edges.

MacMahon also highlighted Brown’s comments after the team’s first-round exit as another moment that reportedly hurt his standing. He considered the season his ‘favorite’ because the team performed better despite adversity.

But the team viewed it as another early postseason exit. And called for major changes.

An organization pleased with trading a 29-year-old Finals MVP for a 36-year-old on a declining contract and a handful of picks is one that was ready to move on long before this summer.

Together, those incidents help explain how the Celtics ultimately arrived at their blockbuster decision. 

Windy never suggested that Tatum pushed Brown out. Instead, he questioned whether the franchise’s biggest star had enough influence to stop the move.