Brad Stevens Emphasizes 'Optionality' as the Primary Reason For Jaylen Brown Trade

Stevens was very complimentary of Brown, but said a business decision had to be made because the CBA forced his hand.

Sep 25, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks during a press conference at the Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

BOSTON — Brad Stevens sat down at the Auerbach Center to explain the seismic, confusing trade that ended Jaylen Brown’s time in Boston, and used the word “optionality” 12 different times to get his point across. 

“I would say that it's a move to keep us at a very competitive level and give us optionality moving forward,” he said, summing it up as he and Boston Celtics Lead Owner Bill Chisholm answered questions for nearly an hour. 

“When I looked at our team, and where the league was heading, and looked at the way we've finished the last couple years, and also looked at the unbelievable way we've played in the regular season in the last couple years, the path looked a little more challenging to me,” Stevens said. “The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percentage of our usage tied into two players.”

Paul George has reportedly waived his trade kicker, so his salary will remain a few million less than Brown's, and that does help the Celtics a little in the short term. But the optionality Stevens mentioned comes in George having a shorter contract.

“I think the biggest thing is that it's that plus the picks,” Stevens said. “Can I tell you exactly what is going to happen? No. We're excited about Paul. We’re excited about a lot of our young guys. We’re excited about the depth of our group. We’re excited about our very best players. We think we've got a good team, and we think we've got a lot of options moving forward.”

Reading between the lines makes it clear that getting off the salary sooner, or using it in a trade, is a driving force behind the move. George has two more seasons on his deal, the second of which is a player option. Assuming he picks up his option for the 2027-28 season, the Celtics will have a huge expiring deal to shop around to a team that might be on the verge of selling off pieces. 

Chisholm has taken a lot of heat in the aftermath of this deal, with fans theorizing that ownership was behind the decision to sell off expensive pieces in order to save money. He insisted this was not the case. 

“It’s not about the money at all. This was trying to put together the right set of players and assets to win now, and then next year, the following year, and the year after that,” Chisholm said “If we see something we want to do, Brad’s got the green light. So I know there’s people feel like there must be a smoking gun somewhere, but that’s just not what this is about. I say it, I’ll keep saying it, but I’ll also prove it to you.”

The Celtics still believe they have a good team. Stevens couldn't address the Mitchell Robinson signing because that's not official yet. Once that happens, the Celtics will be hard-capped at the first apron, which will limit how much they can do. Chances are they will sequence their moves in order to maximize the roster before any hard caps come into play. Eventually, the team will likely work to get back under the tax to reset the repeater penalties as well. The Celtics believe this move helps them maneuver everything down the line.

“We have both really good young depth, some guys that I think will not only be good in the near term but just continue to get better,” Stevens said. “You talked about Paul's contract a little bit, and how it times up, that will give us optionality, not only in adding to our team but also retaining some of our team, which I think is important.”

Stevens made it clear that Jayson Tatum had no input on the deal, and that he doesn’t ask players to weigh in on such things. He also addressed Brown’s feelings that things weren’t properly communicated to him, noting that all suitors for Brown were mentioned to his agent during the process. Stevens made it abundantly clear, repeating the sentiment many times, that there was no rift with Brown and that the possibility of Brown returning existed. 

The message being sent out the Auerbach Center on Monday night was pretty clear. Stevens and the Celtics hold Brown in high regard, but the bigger picture told them it was time to move on. 

“No. 1, is there an opportunity to get somebody in the door or get tools that could allow you to get others in the door, that could keep you at a good level,” he said. “And No. 2, would there be assets attached that would then be usable in future deals. At the end of the day, we made what I think was a really hard decision. One that comes with very little sleep.”