The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, July 6, 2026. The 76ers sent Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to Boston in the exchange.
Brown spent 10 years in Boston, where the Celtics compiled 530 regular-season wins and 86 playoff wins, securing an NBA championship in 2024. The team ranked in the top five on both ends of the floor for a fourth consecutive season despite Jayson Tatum missing 62 games this past season.
Brown was Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP two years ago. He played in 15 more playoff games than any other player over the last 10 years. His career numbers show minimal drop-off from the regular season—20.0 points per game on 57.1 percent true shooting—to the playoffs, where he averaged 19.6 points on 57.4 percent true shooting.
George is more than six years older than Brown and played 239 regular-season games over the last five years. For the Celtics, acquiring George may upgrade their defensive capabilities.
Brown is more than six years younger than George and provides more day-to-day certainty in the lineup, having played 337 regular-season games over the last five years. The 76ers gain an upgrade at the forward spots.
The 76ers upset the Celtics in the first round of the 2026 playoffs but were swept by the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. Six of Philadelphia's last nine seasons have ended in the conference semifinals. The 76ers are not among the 19 franchises that have reached the conference finals since the 2017-18 season, despite having the league's fifth-best regular-season record over that span.
Philadelphia has been a worse-than-average offensive team in each of the last two seasons, scoring only 106.3 points per 100 possessions during their sweep by the Knicks. Brown is an offensive upgrade, having been a more efficient scorer than George in recent years.
Philadelphia will still need Joel Embiid healthy in April and May for a deep playoff run. The trade puts them in a better position to contend in an Eastern Conference that appears deeper than it has been in recent memory.
