Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to 76ers for Paul George

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Boston Celtics have traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.

In a follow-up post, Charania detailed the picks coming back to Boston: A 2028 first (that could turn into a swap that favors Boston), a 2031 unprotected first, a 2028 second (most favorable of GSW/OKC/MIL), and a 2030 second (most favorable of WAS/PORT/PHX).

The 2028 first is complicated, with the details outlined by Keith Smith of Spotrac here:

Effectively, if the Sixers' pick is in the top eight, the Celtics get it. If not, then Boston gets the best of its own pick and the LA Clippers pick that the 76ers own.

Last year, George appeared in just 37 games for the Sixers, playing 30.7 minutes per contest. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 39.2% from deep on 6.9 3-point attempts per contest.

BSJ Analysis

The deal is done. And it is a doozy.

To me, this tells me one of two things. One, the relationship with Brown was irreparable to the point where he had to be moved. Or two, the Celtics finally decided they wanted out of the Brown business, regardless of the deal.

There is no pretending when it comes to George. He is 36 years old and makes way too much money for his production. His postseason performance last year was impressive, but this deal is not about getting George back.

If anything, the fact that the Celtics had to take back two years of George's money at $54.1 million and $56.6 million (a player option he will almost certainly pick up) is a testament to how bad the trade market was.

No one wanted to give anything up for Brown. Because if this were the bar, then every team around the NBA is a professional limbo player. Because it was low.

For a moment, let's live in a world where the first of those two potential things is true. Let's say the relationship with Brown was truly irreparable. Well, then the Celtics had to trade him. You can't go into a season with a guy who is upset to the point of not wanting to be there.

That's when you get into Ben Simmons territory. When you get into Kawhi Leonard territory. I'm not saying that's what happened, but if this is the return the Celtics landed on, then it had to be bad.

Well, what about the other option? What if the Celtics were truly done with the Brown era in Boston? Well, then they would have to feel so strongly about dumping Brown that they would be willing to accept a trade package as dire as this one.

Brown is fresh off an All-NBA Second Team season. He was an All-Star. He was a top-10 player in the NBA who finished sixth in MVP voting. And the Celtics traded him for one of the worst contracts in the league, two firsts, and two seconds.

Not only that, but they traded him to the very team that ended their season last year. The very Sixers team that came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Celtics in the playoffs for the first time since 1982. They paired him alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, helping the 76ers form one of the most valiant Big 3s in the league.

Even if you are a non-believer in Brown, even if you believe that the Celtics will be better off without Brown, even if you think the Celtics are a better team with Brown off the court and they had to get rid of him this summer, there is no beating around the bush: This trade return is a disaster.

To be perfectly clear, this is not about who George is on the court. George actually played well last season. He was a productive 3-point shooter, and in the playoffs, he was one of the best players on the floor. But his contract is awful, and he is 36 years old. And perhaps worst of all, you traded Jaylen Brown for him.

The picks are fine. The 2028 first-rounder has a good chance at ending up in the top-10, especially considering the Clippers don't project to be a playoff team next season. But that's not nearly enough to rest your laurels on.

There's one point I keep coming back to: Brown and the Celtics were done with each other. There's no other explanation that makes sense. For Boston to do this trade this early in the summer, the relationship had to be in a terrible, terrible place. A place so bad that it could not continue. Or the Celtics truly believe that their best chance of winning moving forward is one that doesn't include Brown. 

Those are the only two outcomes that make any semblance of sense. And still, somehow, neither is a good enough explanation for the Celtics to make this type of trade, especially not this early in the offseason.

Brad Stevens is going to face questions, and rightfully so. This is by far the worst trade he has made in his tenure as GM, and there is a massive canyon between this and the next-worst move.

It's hard not to think back on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga. If the options were to include Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and more picks in that trade or accept this Sixers package, then the latter is undoubtedly the obvious choice.

Obviously, there's more nuance to it than that. Perhaps the Milwaukee Bucks were just leading the Celtics on, trying to get the Miami Heat to include Kasparas Jakucionis. Perhaps they would have taken the Heat's offer anyway.

This is as close to a straight-up salary dump as is conceivable. The first-rounder in 2028 could be something, but we're talking about an All-NBA player here. Jaylen Brown.

And all of that, all of that, is without even considering how much Brown meant to the City of Boston. How much social work he did to try to improve the city. The 10 years he spent in Boston trying to strengthen the community and grow his roots here. When you consider that side of things, it all gets even worse.

There will be more thoughts to be shared. More articles, more videos, and more columns. But this trade is shocking to the point of speechlessness. It's almost unfathomable that this is how the Brown era -- 10 seasons, highlighted by a championship, a Finals MVP, five All-Star appearances, two All-NBA nods, and countless off-court efforts -- in Boston has ended.