Most Celtics fans are still trying to process the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia. Paul George is coming to Boston along with a haul of picks, and the immediate reaction around the league has been mixed at best. But Jeff Teague, who spent a season in Boston, sees this differently than most.
Teague went on the “Club 520” podcast and made the case that this move might actually unlock something in Jayson Tatum that Brown couldn’t. Not because Brown isn’t talented. But because George, at this stage of his career, knows exactly what he is.
“I like this more for Boston, actually. I like JB, but I think Paul George is a complementary piece now in his career,” Teague said. “We saw him last year. He had some complementary moments. I think this can turn Jayson Tatum into the MVP candidate we think he could be.”
That’s the key argument here. George turns 37 this season. He’s not the two-way force he was in Oklahoma City or even his early Clippers years. But he’s still a legitimate three-level scorer who can defend multiple positions, and more importantly, he’s never been the guy who needs to be the alpha in the room.
The chemistry question nobody wanted to talk about
There have been whispers for a while that Brown and Tatum’s relationship wasn’t as smooth as their on-court success suggested. They won a title together in 2024, so it’s not like it was broken. But multiple reports indicated a simmering tension between them. Jealousy, one-upmanship, the kind of stuff that doesn’t show up in the box score but eats away at a team’s culture over time.
The Celtics front office apparently felt that tension enough to make a choice. They picked Tatum. And they brought in a veteran who has admitted in the past that he’s comfortable being the second or third option.
It’s also worth noting that Tatum has said George was one of the players he studied growing up, right alongside Kawhi Leonard and Carmelo Anthony. That kind of respect matters in a locker room. Brown and Tatum were co-stars who tolerated each other. George and Tatum could be something closer to a mentorship.
What comes next with those picks
Teague also floated an interesting scenario. Boston got two first-rounders and two second-rounders from Philly in the deal. That’s serious ammunition. He suggested the Celtics could flip some of that capital to New Orleans for Trey Murphy III, which would give them a young, long, athletic wing who can shoot and defend.
“Trey Murphy, Jayson Tatum, Paul George. I ain’t mad at that team,” Teague said.
The Celtics haven’t confirmed anything on that front, and Murphy is a rising talent the Pelicans might not want to move. But the possibility is out there. Boston has options now. They made a bold, uncomfortable decision to trade a franchise cornerstone. Whether it works depends on how well George fits next to Tatum, and whether that draft capital turns into another impact piece.
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