The trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George didn’t happen in a vacuum. Before the Celtics and 76ers got serious, Boston spent weeks testing the market, and Brown made it clear where he did and did not want to land.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, multiple teams reached out to the Celtics about Brown. The Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets were all in the mix. But Brown had vet power. The Celtics kept him informed about which teams were calling, and Brown let them know which ones he had no interest in playing for.
Siegel wrote that Brown made it “clear he did not want to be traded there” when Charlotte came calling. The same went for New Orleans and Brooklyn. That added a layer of complication Boston had to navigate.
The Giannis Deal That Fell Apart
Things started getting real when the Celtics offered Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That deal didn’t happen, and Giannis eventually ended up in Miami. But the fact Boston was even willing to dangle Brown for Giannis sent a signal.
Jay King and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that around that time, Boston “began to give other teams the impression they were seriously weighing the possibility of a future without Brown.” The failed Giannis talks seemed to open the floodgates.
Brown’s Reaction: A Lack of Respect
The Celtics have said they kept Brown in the loop the whole time. But Brown himself didn’t see it that way. During a Twitch livestream, he talked about a “lack of respect” in how the process was handled. That tracks with how things looked from the outside. Teams were calling, Boston was listening, and Brown was left to wonder if he’d be packing his bags.
In the end, the Celtics found their deal with Philadelphia. Paul George comes to Boston. Brown heads to the 76ers. And the whole messy process leading up to it is why NBA trade talk never really stops. It just gets louder.
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