Boston ships Brown to 76ers for George and 4 draft picks

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

When the 2026-27 NBA season kicks off, Jaylen Brown will no longer wear Boston’s green and white threads.

In a shocking Eastern Conference blockbuster swap, the Boston Celtics traded their former Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers on July 2, 2026, in exchange for veteran forward Paul George and four draft picks.

To ink Brown to a deal, the 76ers had to give up their first-round picks in 2028 and 2031, and their second-round picks in 2028 and 2030.

The five-time All-Star and former NBA champion was already irked last month after the Celtics included him in a trade package to compete against other teams in pursuit of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.

However, the Milwaukee Bucks rejected Boston and accepted the Miami Heat’s deal, which included Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and five draft picks.

Due to Boston publicizing its desire to move on from Brown for Antetokounmpo’s services, the athletic shooting guard’s future with the franchise suddenly went into limbo.

According to multiple reports, Boston General Manager Brad Stevens discussed the Brown trade package with eight teams, and the last franchise that went down to the wire was Philadelphia.

Ironically, Brown became one of the reasons why Joel Embiid’s “Trust the Process” era in Philadelphia experienced successive road bumps.

In 18 playoff games across four series matchups, the Brown-led Boston squad holds a 12-6 head-to-head advantage, which was recently halted in the 2025-26 postseason when the 76ers pulled off a stunning first-round upset of the Celtics.

Now, Brown will have Embiid alongside him in a quest for another NBA championship.

From foes to teammates, the duo will banner a new 76ers era together with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

For the Celtics, the trade creates more midseason options depending on how the team meshes, especially with the addition of George and newly crowned NBA champion Mitchell Robinson, who left New York for Boston.

The departure also signals a clear move away from Brown as one of their main options, leaving Jayson Tatum as the team’s primary superstar and franchise player.