Photo: YouTube

Draymond Green believes the lack of a close off-court relationship between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was not a significant issue for the Boston Celtics, arguing that teammates do not need to socialize outside basketball to succeed.

The Golden State Warriors forward responded to discussions about the former Celtics duo after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Tatum and Brown’s personal relationship had deteriorated to the point where it was “as close to non-existent as you could have.”

“That sh*t don’t matter,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “We all have different lives. Does not mean they didn’t like each other. It simply means we don’t carry the same interests off the basketball court. None of you people who sit and judge hangout with every colleague that you work with. But for some reason when it comes to basketball players, if two guys don’t hangout, it’s a big issue?”

Charania explained that Boston’s decision to trade Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers was influenced by more than salary considerations and roster construction. He said the relationship between Brown and the organization, as well as the dynamic between Boston’s two stars, had changed over time.

“Over the last year or so, that personal relationship it was as close to like, you know, non-existent as you could have,” Charania said on the Stephen A. Smith Show. “But on the court they were amazing hardworking professionals together.”

Despite the reported distance between them, Tatum and Brown remained one of the NBA’s most successful partnerships. The pair helped the Celtics reach multiple deep playoff runs and won the 2024 NBA championship.

Brown produced a career-level season in 2025-26, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists over 71 games. He finished sixth in MVP voting, earned All-Star honors and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team.

Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 16 games during the regular season after returning from Achilles injury. In the playoffs, Brown averaged 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in seven games, while Tatum averaged 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists in six appearances.

Charania said tension grew when Tatum returned from injury and Brown had taken on a larger leadership role in Boston.

“When Jayson Tatum was coming back to the team, like this was Jaylen Brown’s team and he made it clear that people knew it was his team and Jayson Tatum had to basically just slide in,” Charania said. “But Jayson Tatum has always been a man in Boston.”

Boston eventually moved Brown to Philadelphia in a deal centered around Paul George and draft compensation. Charania said previous trade discussions involving Brown, including potential moves for players such as Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, contributed to a feeling of disrespect.

“The Celtics have shopped Jaylen Brown multiple times,” Charania said. “So the disrespect level that’s already there and they’re dealing with it.”