The Jaylen Brown debacle is not the only offseason drama that hit Jayson Tatum. His trip to Today with Jenna and Sheinelle also got him swept up in LeBron James’ high-stakes free agency chaos. The now-solo cornerstone of the Boston Celtics was on the show to chat about his new children’s book, only to find himself unexpectedly grilled regarding the league’s most pressing storyline. Rather than sticking to standard lifestyle questions, co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones stepped out of their comfort zones and did ESPN’s work.

It started with the teleprompter putting Jenna Bush Hager on an unexpected, scripted trajectory. “Well, LeBron is a free agent…” If you know the ladies well, you’d know they aren’t sports savants. So the idea of “Us talking basketball,” as Jenna said, left them in splits. Not surprisingly, even Tatum knew where the mention of LeBron was going.

Sheinelle pointed out, “Jayson’s like, ‘What else are you going to say?'”

Since it’s come up, Jenna leaned into it with a rather tame question, “Want him to be on your team? That’s what I say.”

But Sheinelle’s prodding to make Jenna read the producer’s exact script on the teleprompter was the clincher.

“Have you thought how great he would look in Celtics green?”

Tatum was all manner of awkward and amused. It looked like a sudden headache manifested, or he was cringing. After all, talking about the thought processes in the Celtics front office, or lack thereof, has not helped him these recent weeks. Some would say that his lack of intervention in Jaylen Brown’s situation led to the trade to the 76ers.

So when he did talk, JT didn’t leave room for speculation. “You know what? That hasn’t crossed my mind.”

His live TV misery didn’t end there because it hit Jenna what a ‘free agent’ means. Realizing that LeBron James is still unsigned, she shifted into an impromptu recruiting pitch and put the All-Star forward on the spot about potentially bringing James to Boston.

“Call your coach and say, ‘Do you think LeBron would look good in green?'” she demanded.

But Jayson Tatum stayed far away from that provocation and told her, “Maybe you should call him.”

Fortunately, Jenna knew that would be a bad idea. As playful as it seems, it just shows that Tatum is staying out of the machinations of the free agency while his standing in Boston is secure.

LeBron James to the Boston Celtics is a distant possibility

The Today hosts channeling their ESPN chops just proves that the LeBron James trade watch is at a fascinating juncture. Even the smallest thing, like Savannah James reminiscing about his proposal in Miami, looks like a big clue about his impending decision following his decision to exit the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat are the top choices to land King James, the idea of James joining Boston sounds like an anomaly. During a recent Sports Illustrated breakdown of LeBron James’ free agency, Rich Paul used a whiteboard to outline potential landing spots, noting “Brad and Tatum” (referencing Brad Stevens and Jayson Tatum) as the primary draw for the Boston Celtics.

Throughout his historic 23-year career, postseason battles against the Celtics, dating back to his original stints with the Cavaliers and the Heat, shaped his individual rivalry with Boston. Basketball purists just don’t see his Team USA and Starting 5 teammate making a difference.

In fact, Paul and most analysts claim Jaylen Brown was a bigger draw. The Klutch Sports CEO listed JB as a factor in why the Philadelphia 76ers are in contention to land Bron.

Besides, the Celtics are currently operating under a completely different roster timeline. The fact that they were trying to package Brown to facilitate the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to Miami (instead of getting him to Boston) indicates that the Celtics don’t want another superstar to shift their focus from Tatum. So, imagining Bron in green is just a fantasy the Today producer will have to keep on the teleprompter.