The Boston Celtics have agreed to a blockbuster trade which sends All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for former All-NBA veteran forward Paul George and four draft picks, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday.
The draft compensation, according to ESPN, will send two first-round picks (2028, which could be a swap that is more favorable for Boston, and unprotected 2031 pick) and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030) to Boston for Brown, who finished sixth in NBA MVP voting this past season when he averaged a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Brown’s future with the Celtics has been uncertain since he was reportedly used as the main piece in Boston’s failed trade offer to acquire Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has three years left on the five-year, $285 million supermax contract extension he signed in July 2023.
Brown, 29, has averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 674 games (547 starts) over 10 seasons with the Celtics since they selected him eighth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. The five-time All-Star and two-time second-team All-NBA standout was named NBA Finals MVP when Boston beat the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 championship.
In Philadelphia, he’ll be paired with former MVP Joel Embiid and rising star guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on a team which suddenly could be an Eastern Conference contender.
George, 36, has spent the last two seasons in Philadelphia after previous stops with the Indiana Pacers (2010-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19) and Los Angeles Clippers (2019-24).
He battled knee, adductor and finger injuries during his time with the Sixers, limited to 78 games over the last two seasons. The nine-time All-Star has averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 945 games (897 starts) across 16 NBA seasons.
