Jaylen Brown has used the 2025-26 NBA season to make a massive statement. It’s easy to forget that there were serious concerns about whether Brown could co-exist with superstar teammate Jayson Tatum after becoming the top man in his absence. That concern seems to have been unfounded now that Tatum is back on the court and the Celtics faithful are happier for it. However, things could have been drastically different had Brown not heeded Tracy McGrady’s advice earlier in his career.
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It’s common knowledge that the trajectory of the Celtics franchise changed once they drafted Brown and Tatum. The two dynamic forwards quickly proved that their skill set far exceeded their age, consequently setting the Celtics up as perennial Eastern Conference contenders.
Unfortunately, they always seemed to have trouble getting over the hump. For the majority of the late 2010s, playoff disappointments followed the Celtics. In 2019 they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in just the second round.
There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding that roster. They had just gone to the Eastern Conference Finals the year before without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward and now that they were back, the power dynamic within the team began to shift. Brown started to feel that he might be better off requesting a trade.
But before he nearly followed through with a career-altering move, NBA legend Tracy McGrady reached out. The seven-time All-Star’s words had a profound impact on Brown.
“He told me the potential that I have and what I needed to do to make it work,” Brown said on Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady. “I followed those instructions. Fast forward, I became an NBA champion.”
Jaylen Brown reveals Tracy McGrady convinced him to not ask for a trade after the Celtics lost to the Bucks in the second round of the playoffs in 2019
(Via @VinceAndTmac) pic.twitter.com/4mH5KdIEwv
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) March 12, 2026
As a former player, McGrady understood the exact situation Brown was in. He had endured similar situations during his playing days. His main goal was to prevent Brown from doing something he undoubtedly would have regretted in the future.
“I just felt in that moment I had to be a voice of reason because I know when you’re actually in it, there’s different emotions. I don’t have those emotions. I’m not attached to that. So, I see something totally different that [Brown] is probably blinded by,” McGrady proclaimed.
Regardless of what the media’s narratives were at the time, McGrady actually saw two up-and-coming young stars with immense potential and a long runway before them. It would’ve been premature to throw that away, something he himself found out the hard way after leaving Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors.
Those words of wisdom went a long way as the Celtics would eventually win an NBA championship in 2024. Brown wasn’t just a solid contributor; he was the best player on the team, earning Finals MVP honors.
Brown has continued with that hot streak this season and is having a career year as the Celtics’ primary leading scorer. He has recently been joined by a healthy Tatum and the pair look to lead the Celtics to the championship like they had in 2024.
