Jaylen Brown Trade Grades: Breaking Down Blockbuster Deal for 76ers, Celtics

The long awaited Jaylen Brown trade hit the NBA moments ago, and it is a doozy.

The Celtics forward, coming off of his best individual NBA season in which he carried the team while Jayson Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles tendon, is heading to the Eastern Conference rival 76ers. In return, Boston is taking back Paul George—a rangy forward not dissimilar to Brown, but seven years older, with a lengthy injury history and, most significantly, $110 million left on his deal over the next two seasons.

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Philadelphia is also sending a haul of draft picks to the Celtics: a 2028 first-rounder that could convert to a pick swap more favorable to Boston, a 2031 unprotected first rounder and a pair of second-round picks in 2028 and ‘30. Even so, given the significant salary that the Celtics are taking on for a lesser player, this deal is a bit hard to fathom.

And so, it is time to grade the trade:

Celtics

Jaylen Brown and Paul Georg — These two stars swapped uniforms in Wednesday’s blockbuster. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It cannot be overstated how badly the Celtics bungled this.

Here’s what it looks like from the public perspective: Boston and general manager Brad Stevens put Brown on the table to try and land Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s a defensible move, but it didn’t work out. They didn’t do what it took to get that deal across the finish line. But by putting him on the table, the toothpaste was out of the tube. The relationship between Brown and the franchise was too far gone to salvage after the news he was offered for Giannis went public. As a result, Boston had to settle for what is undeniably a terrible package.

Is George still a good and useful player, albeit overpaid? Sure. But only getting him is borderline malpractice. This is a 29-year-old All-NBA talent we’re talking about. Brown has his flaws but he is a proven playoff performer. Much worse players have gotten traded for far more over the last few years. Think about this: the Celtics got less for Jaylen Brown than the Grizzlies did for Desmond Bane. Far less. The Nets squeezed the Knicks for a better package for Mikal Bridges than Boston did Philly in the Brown trade. Memphis got more for Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline this year! And the picks acquired in exchange for Brown are several measures worse than most of the ones included in those trades.

It’s baffling that the Celtics settled for this and even more so that they’re in this position in the first place. They didn’t have to go after Antetokounmpo. They clearly shouldn’t have, if this was going to be the end result. This is a comically underwhelming package for a star talent and a trade that makes the team several measures worse in the short-term. Potentially burning a year of Tatum’s prime because Stevens didn’t get the Giannis deal done and had to trade Brown anyway is an absolute disaster for Boston.

Perhaps the Celtics have pivots planned. But there is no getting around the fact that Boston traded Brown for pennies on the dollar after a career season. There's a very real chance this goes down as one of the worst trades in modern NBA history. The Celtics got no worthwhile assets, no talented young players, and didn’t even clear cap space with two years remaining on George’s max contract. Even if things were worse behind the scenes than we realized with Brown you just cannot accept that poor of a package for a premium player. Even the Mavericks got Anthony Davis in the Luka trade.

This is nothing less than a catastrophic move, and one Boston only had to make because Stevens tried and failed to land Antetokounmpo. What a mess.

Grade: F

76ers

Jaylen Brown and Joel Embii — Brown and Embiid are now teammates. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What just happened? In a move that was on precisely zero NBA bingo cards, the 76ers spun a rapidly decomposing Paul George and four picks, two of which will likely be late first rounders, into a 29-year-old Jaylen Brown coming off his best professional season. I have no idea how Mike Gansey convinced Brad Stevens to do this deal.

George, once a perennial All-Star wing, is 36 and coming off one of his worst seasons, and oh by the way, he was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. He only played 37 games and averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals. That’s not terrible production, but he’s owed $54.1 million next season and holds a player option for $56.6 million for 2027–28. The Sixers got out from under that contract and imported an All-Star wing to replace him.

With Jayson Tatum sidelined for much of the 2025–26 season, Brown had his best season. He set career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1) while playing 34.4 minutes per game. Yes, he has a massive contract and is owed around $183 million over the next three years, but he’s in his prime and isn’t that much more expensive than George.

The Sixers immediately become a title contender with this deal. The fit will need to be figured out, but a perimeter trio of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe and Brown looks elite. If Joel Embiid can stay healthy, and that’s a big if, Philadelphia will be in the mix for a title.

Surrendering two first-round picks and two second rounders in exchange for immediate contention is well worth the price.

Grade: A+

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