Celtics agree to trade 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to 76ers for Paul George, picks
The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft picks, per multiple reports, ending Brown's decade-long tenure and splitting a star duo with Jayson Tatum.
The trade details
On Wednesday, ESPN first reported that the Boston Celtics had reached an agreement to send Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston will receive veteran forward Paul George, two first-round picks (including a 2028 Clippers pick and their own 2031 selection), and two second-round picks. The terms were confirmed by The Boston Globe and The Associated Press, citing an anonymous source because the deal awaits league approval.
Brown's Celtics tenure
Brown, 29, spent 10 seasons with Boston after being drafted third overall in 2016. He was named MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals, where he and Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a championship. This past season, with Tatum sidelined by an Achilles injury, Brown posted career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference but were eliminated by the 76ers in a first-round series despite a 3–1 lead.
Behind the move
Brown had grown frustrated with the organization after reports linked him to trade discussions for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier in the summer. He expressed his displeasure on social media, noting his league-leading win total since entering the NBA.
Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago.
Brown's departure marks the end of one of the league's most successful pairings.
What it means for the 76ers
In Philadelphia, Brown joins a core that includes former MVP Joel Embiid, rising star guard Tyrese Maxey, and rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe. With Brown's scoring and playmaking, the 76ers gain a formidable perimeter trio. However, Brown had previously criticized Embiid's flopping on a livestream.
Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in... basketball history. Flops. He know it. This ain't breaking news.
The 76ers now pose a significant threat in the East, with the potential to challenge the defending champion Knicks, provided Embiid stays healthy.
A summer of upheaval
The Brown deal adds to an unprecedented reshuffling of stars this offseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded from Milwaukee to Miami; Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram swapped teams in a deal between Toronto and the LA Clippers; and Ja Morant moved from Memphis to Portland. For the Celtics, the short-term outlook dims. Paul George, 36, had a down season and missed 25 games to suspension, though Boston adds valuable draft capital.
