In Las Vegas for the start of NBA Summer League action, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke for the first time about his star player Jaylen Brown being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Still processing it,” Mazzulla said of the stunning deal. “Obviously, when something like that happens it’s not a black and white type of thing. There’s a ton of stuff that goes into it on and off the court. The part that I hope gets talked about more, and the part that we wanna focus on the most is really just the respect, the appreciation and the gratitude for what he did for the Celtics for 10 years.
“He’s a Celtic longer than I have been. He was here before me. He set the tone and started that and was a part of special things and obviously was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to be as successful as we have been. That, to me, is what we have to focus on more: the respect as a competitor and the gratitude for what he’s done.”
The Celtics drafted Brown with the third overall pick in 2016. Mazzulla joined then-Celtics head coach Brad Stevens’ staff as an assistant in 2019 and replaced Ime Udoka as Boston’s head coach in 2022.
Mazzulla spoke highly of Brown’s impact on him and the rest of the Celtics organization over the last 10 years.
“He made me a better coach. I know that for a fact,” he said. “The way he pushed me. The way he pushed himself. The way he pushed the locker room.”
Stevens, now the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, denied during his Monday press conference that superstar Jayson Tatum had any input on trading Brown. Mazzulla claims he didn’t have input either, and he trusts Stevens’ decision.
“Not input. Just, Brad comes to you and talks to you and gives you a breakdown and an understanding,” Mazzulla said. “In moments like this, obviously there’s great alignment within the organization and there’s conversations that are always gonna be had. But I think in moments like this, this is where you just trust, you listen, and you have an understanding for what they do.
“I think Brad is the absolute best at what he does, and there’s just a level of trust that goes into that.”
The Celtics acquired veteran Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-rounders in exchange for Brown. Prior to the deal, they signed free agents Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley. Stevens said he doesn’t anticipate any other significant moves to be made in the near term.
“I think that’s one of the big questions is, every time something like this happens, it’s like, how are you gonna replace? You’re not going to. I mean, obviously not only what (Brown’s) done in his career, but what he did this year, you don’t replace that,” Mazzulla said.
“I think that’s where it’s not a black and white thing, right? There’s two sides to it. We’ve also brought in people. And so, we have to have an understanding that we’re not asking anybody who comes back — whether it’s free agency, whether it’s trade — to be what he was, but they gotta be the best version of themselves and they have to bring things to our team to try and help us become a better team.”
So, what now?
The Celtics have formed a unique identity over the last few years with Mazzulla at the helm. That identity will undoubtedly change now that the Jays have been split up.
“We have a different roster. We have a different identity now,” Mazzulla added. “I think there’s been a clear identity over the last 10 years with the roster that we have, especially the cornerstones of the organization. Now, that identity is a little bit different, so the challenge lies in, how do we create that identity? How do we establish that identity, and then how do we end our season on a win?”
The Celtics’ surprisingly stellar 2025-26 campaign ended with disappointment as they blew a 3-1 first-round series lead to the Sixers. Looking ahead with a new-look roster, Mazzulla is ready to turn the page to a new era of Celtics basketball.
“When you look at the season that we had this year, it’s what we talk about all the time is the duality of the good and the bad,” Mazzulla said. “To have such a great regular season, but then when you blow a 3-1 lead that’s on everybody. That’s on me, that’s on, the coaching staff, that’s on the player. You have to look at all those things.
“So, I think you first have to have an appreciation for what we were able to do from a competitive standpoint. At the same time, have an understanding that the way we ended wasn’t good enough, and that starts with me and then it goes to everybody.”
The C’s will return to the court Friday night when they open their Summer League slate against the Toronto Raptors.
