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NBA Free Agency 2026 Tracker: Live Updates and Analysis—76ers Trade for Jaylen Brown in Bombshell Deal With Celtics

Brown is the latest NBA star to be traded as free agency continues around the league.
Liam McKeone, SI Staff, Ryan Phillips|
The 76ers are trading for Jaylen Brown, sending the Celtics Paul George and a slew of picks.
The 76ers are trading for Jaylen Brown, sending the Celtics Paul George and a slew of picks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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NBA free agency is officially underway and it’s already been a wild ride.

The lead-up to yesterday’s opening time of 6 p.m. ET was a rollercoaster of news and rumors. The biggest developments of the day occurred in Los Angeles, where LeBron James informed the Lakers he’d be playing elsewhere next season and the Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors to officially put a pin in their superteam era. But significant signings occurred all over the NBA, with the backdrop of a very eventful pre-free agency period that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo traded to the Heat.

What fun it’s been. And on Wednesday, it all continues. The biggest splash so far: a huge sign-and-trade deal between the Lakers and Jazz that sends Walker Kessler to L.A. And in the biggest move of the day so far, the Celtics have finally found a taker for Jaylen Brown, and the deal is a whopper: Brown heads to the rival 76ers for Paul George and a haul of draft picks. More on that deal below.

As NBA free agency’s second day marches on, Sports Illustrated’s NBA team will be updating you with all the latest news and rumors around the biggest free agents available and any stars who might still be on the trade block. We can only hope it’s as eventful as yesterday.

NBA free agency tracker: live updates on major deals

Key dates for the 2026 NBA offseason after free agency moratorium

  • July 6, 12:01 p.m. ET: NBA teams permitted to begin signing free agents.
  • July 3–19: NBA Summer League (July 3, 5–6 in San Francisco; July 4–6 in Sacramento; July 4, 6–7 in Salt Lake City; July 9–19 in Las Vegas)
  • October 9: First confirmed preseason game (Rockets vs. Mavericks in Macau)
  • Late October: Regular season begins

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    Published | Modified
    Liam McKeone
    LIAM MCKEONE

    Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

    Gilberto Manzano
    SI STAFF

    Ryan Phillips
    RYAN PHILLIPS

    Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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