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The Celtics and Sixers are doing a deal that could blow up the Eastern Conference.
On Wednesday, the Celtics reportedly agreed to send Jaylen Brown to the Sixers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks in a shocking trade.
The deal comes after a disappointing season for both teams. The Sixers beat the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs before being swept by the Knicks in the second round.
It’s the first big move made in Philadelphia by Mike Gansey, who replaced Daryl Morey as the Sixers’ new president of basketball operations in June.
In May, Bob Myers—who won four titles with the Warriors and now presides over Josh Harris’s sports empire as president—was asked if the team could still contend with its current core.
“That is the question,” Myers said. “If I had the answer to that question, I’d actually just do it. I look forward to partnering with leadership to get that answer. You’re asking the right question. But that’s a question I think everybody’s asking.”
The Sixers have their answer, for now.
The organization gets Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP and All-NBA second team player in the prime of his career to add to a core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecombe.
Brown was the longest tenured Celtic.
He was drafted in 2016, when Isaiah Thomas was the team’s star player and Brad Stevens was the coach instead of the lead decision maker. Tatum joined him a year later—after the Sixers made a deal with Boston for the No. 1 pick in the draft and the Celtics got Tatum at No. 3—and the duo overcame early playoff struggles to lead the franchise to the 2024 championship.
George is 36 and played just 78 games across his two seasons in Philadelphia after signing a four-year, $212 million contract with the franchise in 2024.
He missed 25 games this year because he violated the NBA’s drug policy and had knee surgery the previous offseason.
In 2023, Brown signed what was then the richest contract in NBA history for five years and $304 million. He will make $57 million next season and is coming off his best statistical season after being the Celtics’ go-to scorer for the majority of the season while Tatum rehabbed from a torn Achilles. Brown drew criticism for saying on a Twitch stream after the Sixers eliminated the Celtics that it was his “favorite season.”
After it was reported the Celtics were open to trading Brown, he said analytics are “ruining the game.” In a separate post, he pointed out that no player had won more regular season and playoff games than him in his 10-year career.
Brown is extension eligible on July 26. He can have one year added to his current deal, according to ESPN. That one-year extension would be worth more than $70 million.
Boston previously failed to trade Brown earlier this offseason in a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who wound up in Miami. Brown is the latest star to switch teams in what has been a wild start to the NBA’s offseason. Kawhi Leonard (Clippers to Raptors), Ja Morant (Grizzlies to Trail Blazers), Miles Bridges (Hornets to Suns), and LaMelo Ball (Hornets to Timberwolves) have all been dealt as teams chase titles after seeing the Knicks’ stunning success.
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