76ers' NBA Finals Odds Skyrocket Following Blockbuster Jaylen Brown Trade With Celtics

The balance of power in the Eastern Conference has flipped over the last 24 hours, and the Philadelphia 76ers are the latest beneficiary.

Philadelphia executed a blockbuster trade on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, sending Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Boston Celtics for 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.

BLOCKBUSTER: The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/xNcNlIV2mh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

The move has vaulted the Sixers' into contender status for the 2026-27 season, as they went from +5500 to win the NBA Finals to +2200 at DraftKings, which is tied with the Toronto Raptors for the fifth-best odds in the league.

Boston was the favorite in the Eastern Conference entering the offseason -- sitting at +650 to win the title -- but it has fallen back to +1000 in the latest odds. The defending champion New York Knicks (+850 to win the title) now have the best odds to win the East and the third-best odds to win the Finals.

The Sixers are adding Brown, who had the best regular season of his career in the 2025-26 campaign, to a core that already features Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. It's a shocking move for the Sixers, especially since Brown was dangled in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks earlier this offseason.

Philly was able to secure the All-NBA wing's services by only giving up a pair of first-round picks and an aging star in George, who appeared in just 37 games in the 2025-26 season.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Brown led the C's to the No. 2 seed in the East even though Jayson Tatum was out for most of the year recovering from an Achilles injury. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3, showcasing his ability to carry a team as the No. 1 option on a nightly basis.

This should be extremely beneficial for a Philly team that has struggled when Embiid is out of the lineup. Embiid appeared in just 38 games in the 2025-26 season, but the Sixers may be able to survive long stretch without him now that Brown is in the fold.

This move is puzzling for Boston, but it's possible the team had to make a deal after floating Brown in trade talks already this offseason. George could be a nice fit next to Tatum, but he didn't reached the All-Star form that he had earlier in his career over the last two seasons with the Sixers. Last season, PG averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from 3. George is a better 3-point shooter than Brown, but he may not be able to carry the team if Tatum misses any time.

It'll be interesting to see if the extra first-round picks acquired by Boston help it make another move to compete with the Knicks for the top spot in the East.

Multiple major trades have benefitted some Eastern Conference squads, as Kawhi Leonard was dealt to the Raptors (last year's No. 5 seed) moving them up to +2200 to win the Finals in the 2026-27 season. Now, the Brown deal has moved Philly up the board as well, creating an interesting group of potential contenders to challenge New York's reign atop the conference.

In fact, the Atlantic Division now has the four top teams in the Eastern Conference in the odds to win the NBA Finals in New York (+850), Boston (+1000), Toronto (+2200) and Philly (+2200).

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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