Jaylen Brown Lands in Philly, Says He and Tatum Barely Talk Now
Brown, our No. 10 overall player after 45.2 fantasy PPG in 2025-26, opens a new chapter in Philadelphia — and confirms the Jays split isn't just professional.
New role as Philly's alpha could push his 45.2 FPPG even higher.
- Brown: 28.7 PPG, 45.2 FPPG in 71 games (2025-26)
- Our rank: #10 overall, #5 among guards
- Brown formally introduced by 76ers Thursday
- Tatum: 44.2 FPPG in only 16 games (2025-26)
- Brown's last 5 games: -3.3 FPPG vs season avg
Jaylen Brown is officially a Philadelphia 76er, and on Thursday he made it clear the partnership that defined the last decade in Boston has gone cold. Asked whether he'd spoken with Jayson Tatum since the trade closed more than a month ago, Brown said not really — a striking admission from a player who logged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists across 71 games last season (2025-26) as one half of the Celtics' championship core.
The two were drafted a year apart, both No. 3 overall, and won a title together in 2024. Brown said the on-court respect is still there and that he hopes Tatum does well — except when Boston plays Philly — but he framed the whole thing around respect rather than brotherhood. Reading between the lines, this was always more colleagues than close friends.
Brown also aired some lingering frustration with how his summer played out. He said the entire process bothered him, hinting that the full story of the trade's moving parts might come out someday. For now, he says his focus is entirely on what's ahead in Philadelphia.
What It Means On The Court
Brown lands in Philadelphia as an unquestioned top-tier scoring wing, and the fit matters for fantasy purposes. In Boston, he shared usage, shots and the ball with Tatum. In Philly, his exact pecking order will dictate whether his 45.2 fantasy points per game from last season (2025-26) is a floor or a ceiling.
The one flag worth noting: Brown closed the year cooling off, averaging 3.3 fewer fantasy points over his final five games than his season average. That's a small sample and likely noise, but it's the kind of thing you file away rather than ignore.
The Fantasy Fallout
Brown remains our No. 10 overall player and the No. 5 guard, so nothing about the trade knocks him out of early-round consideration. If Philadelphia leans on him as a primary or co-primary option, his scoring volume could climb north of the 28.7 he posted in 2025-26. New scenery, fewer mouths to feed on some nights — that's a recipe for a usage bump, and usage is fantasy gold.
The bigger question mark sits in Boston. Tatum played just 16 games in 2025-26, and while he was excellent when available — 21.8 points, 10 boards, 5.3 assists and 44.2 fantasy points per game — he's currently unranked in our model on health and availability concerns. Encouragingly, his last five games ran 8.7 fantasy points above his season average, a sign the production is still elite when he's on the floor.
With Brown gone, Tatum inherits an even larger slice of Boston's offense whenever he suits up. That's the buy-low case: a proven 44-plus fantasy points per game producer whose ranking is depressed by games missed, not by talent. If you can grab him at a discount from a manager scared off by his 2025-26 availability, do it.
Bottom line: draft Brown with confidence and treat a potential usage spike in Philly as upside on an already top-10 player. He's a clear buy-low target if any leaguemate is nervous about the change of address. Tatum is the higher-variance play — the ceiling is a top-five overall season, the risk is another injury-shortened year, so price him accordingly and pounce if the tag drops.
