The Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown are no more. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP reportedly has been traded after weeks of speculation.
The landing spot? The Philadelphia 76ers, of all places. If your reaction was, “What?!” … I promise you’re not alone.
Let’s try to remove the emotion and try to make sense of a shocking transaction.
The Philadelphia 76ers: Pretty good!
Former All-Star forward Paul George was sent the other way, along with 2028 and 2031 first-rounders, and two seconds in 2028 and 2030.
So, uh, yes, this is our new reality. Brown is now a teammate of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, giving the Sixers a type of Big 3, with Embiid being a kind of “maybe” because of his health.
(Perhaps the promising V.J. Edgecombe is ready to elevate his game, but we’ll have to see.)
Regardless, Philly gets the best player in the deal and in the process got rid George’s awful contract, which is worth more than $110 million over the next two seasons.
It’s not all cake, however. Brown isn’t necessarily a strong outside shooter, which is a necessity alongside Maxey and, in particular, Embiid.
Overall, though, Philly takes a step forward here with a pretty durable 29-year-old coming off an outstanding season.
Grade: A
The Boston Celtics: They did what they could
From Boston’s side, this is multi-layered.
While the Celtics lose the best player in the deal, they get a floor-spacer who fits their system better and some draft equity.
George, 36, might have health issues, but when he does play, his shooting capabilities align perfectly with the values of head coach Joe Mazzulla, which shouldn’t be undervalued. George shot 39.2% from 3 last season on almost seven attempts per game, so yes, he fits right in with Boston’s volume game.
Is this where the Celtics wanted to find themselves just two years after a title? Probably not, but at least they’re still knocking on the door of competitiveness.
We’ll see if the picks get sent elsewhere for immediate help, but with the market for Brown seemingly, um, underwhelming, this at least makes sense from an on-court perspective.
Grade: B
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