Jaylen Brown and his ten-year run in Boston came to an end after the Celtics agreed to send the former NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers in one of the biggest trades of the season.
Philadelphia will send Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to Boston as part of the deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The package includes an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2028 pick that could turn out to be good for the Celtics.
The move comes after weeks of uncertainty over Brown’s future. Boston explored multiple options following its failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Charania reporting that the Celtics were “absolutely shopping” Brown around the league.
Without speculation, sources told Shams that Brown never asked for a trade.
“My understanding of Jaylen Brown in all of this, he never asked for a trade. He never asked to leave Boston, this was all about the Celtics,” said Charania.
Brown leaves Boston as a five-time All-Star, NBA champion and winner of both the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards. He is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while earning All-NBA Second Team honors.
His partnership with Jayson Tatum helped establish the Celtics as one of the Eastern Conference’s most consistent contenders over the past decade. Since entering the league in 2016, Brown has appeared in 142 playoff games, the most of any player during that time.
The trade now involves the Browns and Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in Philadelphia.
Brown and Embiid shared a few postseason battles last season, with Brown previously giving an indirect assessment of the former MVP.
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the greatest players in the history of basketball. [But he] flops. He knows,” said Brown.” “This is not breaking news. It’s just the way it is.”
Paul George is headed to Boston after two seasons with the 76ers. The nine-time All-Star averaged 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 78 games during his time in Philadelphia.
Blockbuster quickly changed the betting landscape.
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