The Boston Celtics’ trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers is back in the conversation one game into the season. Boston blew a 22-point lead in a 121-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, the same day Brown won his 76ers debut.

On ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday, Stephen A. Smith became the latest to weigh in, and he put Brown’s exit on Jayson Tatum.

Reaction to the segment was divided. Some agreed with Smith, while others pushed back.

Stephen A. Smith Explains Why He Blames Jayson Tatum

Smith’s comments came after a rough opener for Tatum, who shot 6 of 23 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists in 38 minutes as Detroit outscored Boston 76-55 after halftime.

Paul George, acquired in the Brown deal, scored 38 points and made seven 3-pointers in his Celtics debut. Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 7-of-14 shooting in Philadelphia’s 106-100 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Smith opened with praise for Tatum: “I don’t care anything about this game other than Jayson Tatum. Jayson Tatum is a superstar in this league. He is class personified and one of the best people you could ever find. Boston loves him. The Celtics love him.”

Tatum missed most of last season while recovering from an Achilles tear suffered in the 2025 playoffs, and Brown averaged a career-best 28.7 points per game.

Smith built his case from there: “Jaylen Brown last year, without Jayson Tatum for the most part, led the Boston Celtics to 56 wins and a number two seed in the Eastern Conference. There is no way in hell that Jaylen Brown is gone, let alone traded within the division to the Philadelphia 76ers, if Jayson Tatum cares for that not to happen.”

Then he laid out the alternative: “If Jayson Tatum stands up, ‘I don’t want to lose him. … He ain’t going nowhere. I want my man here,’ Jaylen Brown is still a Boston Celtic. The fact that he is gone is because they wanted to make it clear it was Jayson Tatum’s team, and Jayson Tatum clearly did not mind.”

However, Celtics president Brad Stevens said after the trade that Tatum was not consulted and had no input in the decision, which Stevens said was driven by roster and salary-cap flexibility.

Some fans sided with Smith. One, replying directly to the clip, wrote: “Usually can’t stand SAS, but he’s on point, it’s just common sense tbh.”

Another fan reached the same verdict: “He has alot of atrocious takes. But he isn’t lying at all.”

Two others pushed back. One fan wrote: “Stephen A Smith back to blaming Jayson Tatum for Jaylen Brown getting traded. It’s been one game guys”

Another fan wrote: “we just spent the entire off season listening to this lazy, manufactured drama, now they’re bringing it into the regular season? this is going to be a long season.”

The trade became official July 6. It sent Brown to the team that eliminated Boston in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Along with George, the Celtics received two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

The deal broke up the Brown-Tatum pairing that won the 2024 NBA title, when Brown was named Finals MVP. Brown made five All-Star appearances in 10 seasons with Boston.

The Celtics’ first regular-season meeting with the 76ers is November 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.