The Boston Celtics shipped Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday in a deal that landed them Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. And the Celtics fanbase? Not thrilled.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy kept his initial reaction short. Very short. He posted six words on social media shortly after the news broke.
“Need to process. Will report back,” Portnoy wrote.
Portnoy, 49, didn’t elaborate or rage-quit the franchise — at least not yet. It felt like the quiet before the storm from a guy who usually lets you know exactly how he feels about Boston sports moves within minutes. He’s taking a beat. That alone tells you something about how this trade landed.
What the Celtics Gave Up and What They Got Back
The 76ers get a 28-year-old wing in the middle of his prime. Jaylen Brown just finished the season averaging a career-high 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three. That’s an All-NBA caliber player heading to a Philly roster that already features Tyrese Maxey, rookie VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid. On paper, that’s a terrifying trio.
Boston’s haul: Paul George, who turns 37 next season. George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from deep. Those are solid numbers. But he’s not the guy who carried the Clippers through playoff stretches a few years ago. Injuries have slowed him down. He’s missed significant time each of the last two seasons.
The draft picks coming back to Boston are expected to land in the late first and second rounds because Philly is a playoff team in the East. That’s not nothing, but it’s not exactly a franchise-resetting haul either.
The Trade That Almost Didn’t Happen
Reports surfaced days ago that the Celtics had been shopping Brown around. Early asking prices were reportedly much higher. But the market didn’t bite. Teams weren’t willing to meet Boston’s initial demands. So the front office settled for a deal that, frankly, looks better for Philadelphia right now.
Brown seemed ready for a change. He never publicly demanded a trade, but the writing was on the wall. The Celtics had been sending signals that they wanted to reshape the roster. They just didn’t get the return most contenders expect when they move a star.
Meanwhile, Philly added a legit two-way scorer without surrendering any of their core pieces. Maxey stays. Embiid stays. Brown slots in as the second option — maybe even the first option on certain nights. That’s a dangerous lineup for the rest of the conference.
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