The Jaylen Brown trade saga has reached its conclusion in Boston. Reports indicate that the Celtics have decided to send the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to one of their fiercest rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.
In return, the Celtics have acquired veteran forward Paul George, as well as two first-round and two second-round draft picks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and The Athletic’s Jay King. The Daily Mail has sought confirmation with both teams.
In recent days, the Celtics have been assertively looking to move Brown, with competitive offers reportedly emerging from 8 to 10 teams, as noted by Charania.
Fans expressed astonishment at Celtics president Brad Stevens’ decision to part with Brown. Their surprise is understandable given that Brown, at 29, is in his prime, whereas the 36-year-old George has struggled with injuries. George has managed to surpass the 70-game mark in a season just once since the 2018-2019 period and is coming off lackluster seasons in Philadelphia, where his scoring slumped to an average of 16.7 points, dipping significantly below his career average of 20.5.
Last season, Brown delivered an impressive performance, averaging 28.7 points and securing 6.9 rebounds per game while his fellow All-Star, Jayson Tatum, was on the mend from a torn Achilles incurred during a playoff battle against the Knicks in 2025.
One fan humorously expressed their disbelief on social media platform X, writing, ‘Trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George at this stage of their careers would have Celtics fans checking if Shams got hacked.’
The Jaylen Brown trade saga has come to an end in Boston, where the Celtics have reportedly agreed to trade the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to the rival Philadelphia 76ers
Brown has been a key figure in Boston since being drafted in 2016 and was even named Finals MVP after the team won its 18th league title in 2024 by beating the Dallas Mavericks
‘I need to understand what led to this,’ read a post from the @CelticsBlog X account.
Brown’s name had come up in a number of trade scenarios in recent weeks, but the five-time NBA All-Star remained a candidate to return to Boston next season until Wednesday’s agreement.
Earlier in the day, Boston agreed to a three-year, $47.44 million deal with former New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and a one-year veteran’s minimum deal with long-time point guard Mike Conley.
Interestingly, Brown recently criticized 76ers center Joel Embiid for allegedly flopping to draw foul calls from league officials.
‘I mean, this is my personal opinion on basketball,’ Brown said on his own livestream in May. ‘Some of y’all might disagree, you know what I mean? But argue with your grandma. Flopping has ruined our game.
‘Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in f***in basketball history, flops,’ Brown continued. ‘He knows it. This ain’t breaking news.’
Brown called out Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid who he said ‘flops’ without notice
Brown and the Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead to the Sixers in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Although Philadelphia fell to the ultimate-champion Knicks, coach Nick Nurse now boasts a lineup that includes an impressive young backcourt in VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey, improving forward Justin Edwards, and Embiid, a former MVP who remains one of the league’s top threats at both ends of the floor when healthy.
The trade does offer Boston some financial flexibility given that he’s signed through 2028-29, while George can opt out of his max deal before the 2027-28 season or wait to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2028, when he will be 38.
Boston will owe $54 million to George in 2026-27, while Philadelphia is on the hook for Brown’s $57 million salary.
The Celtics originally acquired the draft pick they used on Brown in 2013 when they traded NBA legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets for a bevy of future selections.
Three years later, Boston took Brown third overall out of Cal and later paired him with Tatum, who is now seen as the franchise cornerstone.
Remarkably, Brown would go on to win 83 playoff games with the Celtics, while recording nine double doubles along the way.