76ers acquiring Jaylen Brown from Celtics for Paul George, four draft picks in NBA blockbuster
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After lots of speculation, Jaylen Brown has been traded.
The Celtics deal the five-time All-Star to the 76ers for Paul George and two first-round picks and two second-round picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.
Brown is coming off his best season in the NBA, averaging 28.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists over 71 games, delivering as Boston’s top option while Jayson Tatum recovered from his Achilles tear for most of the season.
Despite the production this year, Brown has been rumored to be a part of multiple trade packages so far this offseason, with Charania reporting the Celtics were actively shopping him around during the NBA draft.
One of those deals was offered during the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, which concluded with the Greek Freak in Miami.
According to ESPN, the Celtics offered Brown and two unprotected first-round picks for Antetokounmpo.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in late June. “I’m never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys.
“You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around.”
Shortly after Stevens left the door open for Brown’s exit, Brian Robb of MassLive reported that the Timberwolves had been in talks with the Celtics about the guard before acquiring LaMelo Ball.
Brown was also shopped around by Boston in 2022, as the Celtics offered him in a package deal to the Nets for Kevin Durant.
He now joins his second NBA team after 10 years with the Celtics. The 76ers finished seventh in the Eastern Conference this past season but rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the first round of the playoffs to beat the Celtics. Philadelphia was then swept by the Knicks in the East semifinals.
The Worldwide Leader reported that while the Celtics shopped Brown, the star never requested a trade out of Beantown.
Brown has three seasons left on his five-year, $285,393,640 contract.
The Celtics get a nine-time All-Star in George, who has played in just 78 games the past two seasons combined, averaging 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. He has a $54 million cap hit this season and a $56 million hit in 2027-28 if he picks up his player option.