Did Jaylen Brown tell Marcus Smart his move was due to $304 million extension? Debunking alleged leaked audio

Ahead of the Boston Celtics’ matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, former Celtics teammates Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown caught up. Shortly after, alleged “leaked audio” quotes from their interaction went viral, regarding the reason that Boston traded Smart this past offseason. However, the quotes are fake.

The quotes come from the infamous parody outlet NBA Centel, a knockoff of the popular NBA news outlet NBA Central. Per NBA Centel, Smart allegedly asked Brown why he let him get traded to the Grizzlies, who entered Sunday with a 3-9 record:

“Why did you allow me to get traded to this team, man?” Smart allegedly said.

Brown allegedly replied that Smart needed to be traded so that he could receive his record-breaking five-year, $304 million maximum contract extension:

“Sorry, it’s either you stay or I get my supermax contract. I needed the money, dawg,” Brown allegedly replied.

However, not only are the quotes fake, but they also don’t make sense numbers-wise, as the Smart trade wasn’t a salary dump deal. The Celtics instead took back the massive $36 million expiring contract of big man Kristaps Porzingis, who they later extended for two years, $60 million.

So, Boston made the deal to bolster its frontcourt and give its team a different look, not to free up money for Brown’s extension.

---

---

Jaylen Brown says he originally couldn’t stand Marcus Smart in Boston

Former Boston Celtics teammates Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown

While Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown are good friends, the two haven’t always seen eye-to-eye.

During a recent interview with Celtics reporter Bobby Manning, Brown spoke about how he and Smart butted heads when he first arrived in Boston in 2016. However, according to the Celtics star, the two later gained mutual respect after he realized that they had similar competitive mindsets:

“I couldn't stand Marcus at first, and that just goes to show [because] I love him now. It be like that sometimes, you know?” Brown said.

“Me and Marcus, we didn't start off great. I wasn't the biggest fan of Marcus when I first got to Boston. … But over time, I realized that me and Marcus have similar spirits.”

Brown added that Smart is someone who he would want on his side if he had to go to battle:

“If I was going to war with anyone, Marcus would be one of my first phone calls,” Brown said.

Smart and Brown played seven seasons together from 2016 to 2023. During that span, Boston made five Eastern Conference finals and one NBA Finals appearance.

---