Key Points
- The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and four draft picks.
- Boston receives 2028 and 2031 first-round picks plus two future second-rounders.
- Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, spent 10 seasons in Boston.
- The deal follows Philadelphia eliminating the Celtics in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for veteran forward Paul George and four draft picks, the Boston Globe reported. Boston receives 2028 and 2031 first-round picks and two future second-rounders for Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP and a 10-year Celtic who finished sixth in MVP voting this past season.
The Return
On talent, this is not an even trade, and Boston knows it. Paul George is 36, owed big money, and coming off a run of injury-shortened seasons; Brown is 29 and a top-15 player. What Boston is really acquiring is the two first-round picks and the salary relief George's expiring-sooner contract eventually provides. The framing tracks with what was already reported: the Celtics had been seeking four first-round picks in Brown trade talks before settling on this package.
The Read
This is the second apron finishing what it started in Boston. Brad Stevens already cut the Celtics' payroll and tax bill from $540 million to $187.8 million and won Executive of the Year for it; trading a Finals MVP for an aging star and picks is the last, hardest cut in that same project. It also closes a loop from earlier this offseason, when Boston dangled Brown as the centerpiece of a losing bid for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Having failed to trade Brown for an upgrade, the Celtics traded him for flexibility instead.
For Philadelphia, it is the opposite bet. The team that just bounced Boston from the first round is spending future draft capital to add a 29-year-old star now, wagering that its championship window is open while Boston's, for the moment, is being deliberately closed.
Source: NBA.com
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