Jaylen Brown has a new home as the Boston Celtics agreed to send the former NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 76ers are sending Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round picks (2028, 2030) to Boston to complete the deal, sources said.
Brown’s future in Boston has been in question in recent weeks. The Celtics attempted to trade him and two unprotected first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee agreed to a trade with Miami instead.
| Players | Final team | New team |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Jaylen Brown | Celtics | 76ers |
| 2019 Kevin Durant | Warriors | Networks |
| 2004 Shaquille O’Neal | Lakers | Heat |
| 1980 Dennis Johnson | Sonics | Sun |
| 1979 Jo Jo White | Celtics | Warriors |
| — ESPN Research | ||
Boston has spent recent days searching for a trade partner, with sources telling Charania that by Wednesday the team was “fully shopping” Brown around the league. Sources also told Charania that Brown never requested a trade from Boston.
Sources told Charania that the draft picks that will go to Boston as part of the deal are as follows:
• The 2028 first-round draft pick could go from a first-round pick to a better trade for Boston.
• 2031 pick is Philadelphia’s first unprotected selection.
• The 2028 second-round draft pick is the most favorable among the Warriors, Thunder and Bucks.
• The 2030 second round is most favorable for the Wizards, Trail Blazers and Suns.
Brown leaves Boston as a five-time All-Star, as well as the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP after helping Boston win its 18th championship.
Brown, who turns 30 in October, is coming off a career season. He finished sixth in MVP voting and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team while leading the Celtics to a 56-win season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all matching or exceeding his previous career highs.
One of the league’s best two-way forwards, Brown has partnered with Jayson Tatum to form the core of a perennial contender in Boston over the last decade since being taken No. 3 overall by Cal in the 2016 NBA Draft. His 142 playoff games since joining the NBA are the most of any player in the league during that period.
He will now join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecomb and the Philadelphia team that knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs in the first round last season.
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George, 36, is a nine-time All-Star and will now be playing for his fifth NBA team. He spent the last two years in Philadelphia, averaging 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 78 games. He was also suspended 25 games without pay in January for violating the NBA’s drug policy, returned to the 76ers in March and then averaged 16.4 points in the playoffs.
George is set to make $54.1 million this season and has a $56.6 million player option for the 2027-28 season. Brown is set to make $57 million this season, $61 million next season and $64.9 million in 2028-29; he is also eligible to sign a one-year extension on July 26.
Boston’s surprise playoff exit in May raised questions about the future of the team with Brown at the forefront.
His relationship with the organization came into question when Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady said during a podcast that the five-time All-Star forward had a frustration that “lies deep within the (Celtics) organization.” But in the days that followed, Brown reaffirmed his happiness in Boston, saying that if it were up to him, he would have stayed with the Celtics long-term, and Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, denied there was a growing rift between their star player and the team.
Stevens again addressed Brown’s status following Antetokounmpo’s failed negotiations with the Bucks, saying last month that Brown is a “big part” of the team and also admitting that he’s “never going to predict the future.”
Brown’s future now lies in Philadelphia, Boston’s Eastern Conference rival, and the teams have met in many important games since Brown was drafted.
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Brown and Embiid also have history, with the former calling the 76ers big man a failure on air after their playoff series.
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best players in basketball history. (But he) fails. He knows it,” Brown said. “This is not sensational news. It is what it is.”
News of the trade has had a significant impact on bookmakers.
The 76ers went from 60-1 to 22-1 to win the NBA Finals, according to DraftKings. Philadelphia also improved from 20-1 to +900 to win the Eastern Conference and from 22-1 to +600 to win the Atlantic. Meanwhile, in Boston, odds to win the NBA Finals increased from +700 to 10-1, odds to win the East from +260 to +360, and odds to win the Atlantic from +120 to +170.
The trade caps a busy day for the Celtics, who also agreed to free agent deals for Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, Charania’s sources said.
This report used information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks.