Celtics Will Remain Competitive After Jaylen Brown Trade, but Contender Status Hinges on Paul George

The Celtics will look fundamentally different this season as Jayson Tatum takes the floor without Jaylen Brown on the roster for the first time in his career. Boston traded Brown following an MVP-caliber campaign to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George. It’s an utterly massive bet by team president Brad Stevens that makes the C’s one of the most interesting teams in the NBA entering the season.

How will Tatum handle the responsibilities of being a No. 1 option without Brown present to demand attention from the defense (all while playing his first full campaign since the devastating Achilles tear)? Can George’s fit as an elite off-ball player compensate for Brown’s consistent production? And above all: will the Brown trade knock the Celtics off the contenders list?

An anonymous NBA scout weighed in on all that and more to Sports Illustrated.

“I think they'll be good just because Joe (Mazzulla) is a really good coach; they're going to win their games and be competitive,” the scout said. “I don't know if they're necessarily a contender just because I don't trust Paul George.”

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Despite the lack of trust, the scout spoke highly of George’s fit alongside Tatum—with the key caveat that he must remain healthy. The star wing only played 78 games combined over the last two seasons and, more broadly, struggled with availability through his Clippers and 76ers tenures.

“How much does PG really have?” the scout asked. “Last year he was relatively healthy, but he was suspended for that stretch. So let's see where he is at. I think he's a good complement to Tatum and it defines the team. I know there's always questions, was it Tatum or Brown's team? It's Tatum's team. And I think PG will accept that.

If he’s healthy, I think PG is a good complement because he can shoot it and he can still create and he doesn't need to dominate the ball like he used to. And he's played off of guys before. He played off of Kawhi (Leonard), he's played off of (Tyrese Maxey), he's played off of (Russell Westbrook), so he knows how to fill that role. So I think it'll work well, and I think Joe will get a lot out of him, and it's just a matter of him staying healthy.”

The impact of the Brown trade won’t just be felt through the play of George, though. The Celtics figure to rely even more on the supporting cast that exceeded expectations last year, and hold a firm belief in one Payton Pritchard to take a step forward with increased opportunities.

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“I know Boston really believes Payton Pritchard is going to take a jump,” the scout said. “And I think he can. Are they going to start him? Do you start him and Derrick White in the backcourt with George and Tatum? I think that would be an interesting group.

“Baylor Scheierman had a good season. I think he can shoot it. I think he's a little erratic and makes some wild plays, but I think he's a better defender than people give him credit for. He rebounds the ball for a guard really well. I wouldn't start him, but he should be in the rotation. I think he's a solid contributor for their team.

“I like Hugo Gonzalez. He plays f---ing hard. He just needs to be a consistent shooter. He's always going to be a role player. He's not going to be more than that, but he understands that and he competes at a high level. Now, if he can become a 38-40% three point shooter, which is a possibility, then they really got something there.”

While the Brown trade garnered all the buzz this offseason around the Celtics, the front office also made a big addition (literally) by signing Mitchell Robinson in free agency. The center spot was Boston’s biggest positional weakness; the roster’s inability to match up with Joel Embiid once Neemias Queta got into foul trouble was a huge reason for the blown 3-1 lead to Philadelphia in the playoffs. Now Mazzulla will have his choice between two huge seven-footers who can protect the paint and dominate the glass.

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“They have two really big centers,” said the scout. “Queta and Mitch are huge people. So they got guys that are going to clog the paint. They got lob threats at the rim. Now they have to be careful with Mitch and his injury history and how many minutes they play him. But I think with those two guys, it's really dynamic grouping. It's almost like it's perfect for Mitch. He can play 25 minutes per night and stay fresh. When you play him more, then it's not great because Mitch is never conditioned well enough.

“So they got that kind of dynamic right now with two guys that are semi-starters, could be a starter or come off the bench and be impactful. Mitch will be really good for them. Mitch is a different dude, so I think Joe will reach Mitch really well, but it'll be fun to watch that dynamic.”

Offseason recap

Who’s out: Jaylen Brown, Nikola Vučević, Max Shulga, Dalano Banton
Who’s in: Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, Mike Conley, Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell, Devin Carter

A busy offseason in Boston, you might say!

To briefly recap the biggest item of the summer: after being named first-team All-NBA in leading the C’s to 56 regular season wins, Brown was traded to the Sixers in exchange for George, two first-round picks in 2028 and ‘31 and two second-rounders.

The draft produced Houston product Chris Cenac Jr. (taken 28th in the first round) and St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell (taken 40th in the second round). Both are elite athletes who will have a hard time breaking into the rotation this season as more long-term projects.

In free agency, the Celtics let Vučević walk and signed Robinson to a three-year deal worth $47.4 million. They also signed Mike Conley for depth at point guard and veteran mentorship as the 38-year-old enters his 19th NBA season. The finishing touch was picking up Devin Carter just before training camp; he was a late lottery pick in the ‘24 draft but was traded by the Kings and then released this summer.

SI’s prediction for the 2026–27 Celtics

Record: 50–32 | Predicting the 2026–27 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?

SI’s NBA staff doesn’t see much drop-off coming for Boston after moving Brown. The Celtics under Mazzulla have been a regular season wins machine and last year, played largely without the roster’s best talent in Tatum, was the greatest proof of concept yet. The postseason will be another matter entirely, but even in a tough East we predict yet another 50-win season for Stevens’s squad.

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