BOSTON — ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks discussed the market for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio on June 27, 2026. Marks' comments prompted a public response from Brown and support from media commentator Stephen A. Smith.

SiriusXM NBA Radio shared a 38-second clip from Marks' interview on its X account. In the clip, Marks stated, "There are mixed feelings about him when you talk to teams." He added, "The analytics of Jaylen Brown is not good," and related, "I had one—not an executive, but an analytics guy—saying, 'Yeah, we view him as like the 7th best player on a team.'" Marks further said, "He's got a negative net rating the last 4 years," noting that the Celtics had a -10.6 net rating when Brown was on the court during the 2025-2026 season. Marks also stated that the Celtics had a 191-80 record in the last four years Brown played.

In response, Brown posted on X, "Analytics nowadays used to discredit and control narratives – Roll the ball out none of these guys better than me on both ends who does he work for." Brown then posted, "State your source," and "Analytics have/are ruining the game we playing AI hoops." NBA Central also posted a summary of Marks' comments regarding Brown's trade value.

Following the initial clip, SiriusXM NBA Radio shared a four-minute audio clip providing additional context for Marks' remarks. Host Brian Geltzeiler stated, "The original clip that was posted this morning did not have the full context of Bobby's exact answer." Marks later posted on X, "But what wasn't posted was the 2m of saying I'm not an analytics person but an eye test guy," and "That I would want Jaylen Brown on my team." Smith addressed Marks' initial comments, stating, "Now this is utterly ridiculous … there is no way in hell [Jaylen Brown] is the seventh best player on any team in the NBA."

Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists during the 2025-2026 season. He finished sixth in MVP voting for that season. The Boston Celtics previously included Brown in negotiations for Giannis Antetokounmpo.