Draymond Green has turned Jaylen Brown’s cold shoulder to Jayson Tatum into a case study in how not to handle an awkward reunion.
On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors forward argued that Brown let his feelings about being traded leak into his play as the Philadelphia 76ers lost 123-101 to the Boston Celtics, according to Yahoo Sports.
“Your aura ain’t right, your juju ain’t right, you got your head down and stuff,” Green said on the podcast, telling Yahoo Sports’ audience that the mood had bled over into Brown’s performance on the floor.
The pregame moment that set it off
Before tip-off, Tatum approached Brown and tapped him on the chest. Brown did not reciprocate, keeping his focus on his own pregame routine.
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Green homed in on that exchange, saying he understood that Brown was upset about the trade but could not see the logic in greeting every other player on the floor while freezing out his former teammate.
The Warriors forward then widened the point into a verdict on Brown’s choice.
“When things like that happen, and you’re not willing to speak, that says more about you than the other person,” Green said.
Thirteen points and a minus-27
Brown finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 26 minutes, with four turnovers and a plus-minus of minus-27, per Yahoo Sports.
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Tatum had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win. Paul George, the player Boston received in the trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia, scored a game-high 36 points against his former team.
Both players downplayed the pregame moment afterward. Brown said he had not been paying attention, and Tatum said he was focused on preparing for the game.
The July trade still in the room
Brown and Tatum spent nearly a decade as Boston’s co-stars and won the 2024 NBA title together. The partnership ended in July, when the Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, with the deal reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania before being made official. The Boston Globe listed the unprotected 2031 first-rounder coming back to Boston as the headline asset.
This week’s game was the first meeting between Brown and Tatum since the move.
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On EssentiallySports’ account of the podcast, Green said winning tends to settle situations like this one, and that giving Tatum the silent treatment only kept the trade front of mind for Brown.
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