Brad Stevens Breaks Silence on Jaylen Brown Trade. Here’s What He Said.

Brad Stevens finally addressed the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, and the Celtics president of basketball operations didn’t sugarcoat it.

Speaking Monday, Stevens described the decision as one that cost him real sleep. The kind where you stare at the ceiling and second-guess everything. But in the end, he made the call.

“We weren’t going to do anything unless we felt like it was the right return,” Stevens said. “It was a hard decision, one that came with very little sleep.”

The Celtics faced George and the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs this year. Boston won that series. But clearly Stevens saw something in George that he couldn’t pass up — even if it meant dealing a homegrown talent like Brown, who’d been with the franchise since they drafted him third overall in 2016.

The return package

It wasn’t just George coming back the other way. The deal also netted Boston a couple of future draft picks, including what Stevens called “two potential premium assets.” He didn’t get into specifics about protections or years, but described the second-round picks as “sweeteners” — the kind of chips you toss into a future trade to get something done.

“Both offer potential, who knows, big swings at the apple,” Stevens said. “The second-round picks are sweeteners that you can use in deals to do things.”

Stevens also noted that George is already in Boston. Like, this past weekend. He’s been in the building, meeting with staff, getting a feel for the place before the season even starts.

What this means for Boston

The Celtics didn’t stop with George. They also added Mike Conley Jr. and Mitchell Robinson in free agency, which gives them a very different look from last year’s team. Conley brings veteran point guard stability. Robinson gives them a rim-running big who doesn’t need shots to impact the game.

But the big story is obviously the Brown-for-George swap. Brown is 27, locked into a max deal, and coming off an All-Star season. George is 34, still elite on both ends, but older and with an injury history that makes you nervous every time he drives baseline.

Stevens sounded like he knew the criticism was coming. He didn’t run from it. He just said the team believed in the move and that George was excited to be in Boston.

That’s probably true. But Celtics fans are going to spend the next six months watching Brown in a Sixers jersey and wondering what could have been. Stevens said he’s excited to see how it all fits together. We’ll find out starting in October.