Stephen A. Smith Drops Blunt Comments About Celtics Star Jaylen Brown

Stephen A. Smith may have dropped a harsh reality check for the Boston Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown amid suggestions that the NBA champion and multi-time NBA All-Star could be on his way out.

Brown elevated his value this past season, as he became the team’s leader with Jayson Tatum missing all but 16 games, and was key to Boston finishing second overall in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, they suffered a first-round series exit courtesy of the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs.

Following that loss, Brown called out the officiating, even suggesting that Philly’s big man, Joel Embiid, was flopping and benefiting from the referees’ whistles.

Along with that, NBA legend Tracy McGrady suggested that Brown has “frustrations” with the Celtics organization, which general manager Brad Stevens indicated he’s unaware of after a recent chat with Brown.

Read more:Brad Stevens Responds to Jaylen Brown Rumors of ‘Frustrations' With Celtics

While Stevens indicated “everyone loves JB,” including himself, ESPN’s Smith noted that Brown isn’t as well-liked as teammate Jayson Tatum, at least when it comes to the valuable corporate deals.

“Jayson Tatum is considerably more liked. I’m talking about by corporate folks. Look at the commercials, the endorsements, look at all of that. Jayson Tatum, compared to Jaylen Brown, they aren’t even in the same stratosphere,” Smith said on “First Take.”

That could be just the hard truth Brown needs to hear, though he probably already knows it from the situation involving his own deals and endorsements. In 2023, he signed that historic five-year, $304 million supermax extension, which at the time made him one of the highest-paid stars in the league.

In 2024, Tatum signed a five-year, nearly-$314 million extension that began this past season. Along with that, he has major endorsements from brands such as Nike and Gatorade, and he seems more valuable to the Celtics organization overall.

Some of Brown’s partnerships include Pepsi, Beats by Dre, and Oakley. One key difference is that Brown declined traditional sneaker deals from major brands Nike and Adidas, instead launching his own footwear and apparel brand, 741 Performance.

ESPN, among other outlets, also discussed the possibility of the Celtics trading Brown, along with other assets, to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. That would pair the former NBA MVP and champion with another superstar, Tatum, and potentially bring Boston to more Larry O’Brien trophies.

However, ESPN’s crew made it clear that there are no reported conversations between the two teams about this trade; it’s merely been suggested as speculation in various places.

That would effectively give Brown a fresh start with the Bucks, where he could become the team’s main star. Most likely, they’d either enter rebuild mode or look to add more players to the roster through free agency and this year’s NBA Draft to become contenders.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM.