76ers Land Jaylen Brown for Paul George and 4 Picks as Celtics Bet Against $183 Million Deal
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 2
76ers Land Jaylen Brown for Paul George and 4 Picks as Celtics Bet Against $183 Million Deal
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 2
Summary
Philadelphia gave up Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders to land Jaylen Brown, taking on the former Finals MVP with three years and $183 million left on his contract.
Boston's move reflects deep skepticism about Brown's impact despite his 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, with public analytics models ranking him anywhere from 11th to 180th leaguewide.
The sharpest concern is on-off performance: the Celtics went 47-10 without Brown over the last four seasons and outscored opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions when he sat last season, versus 5.7 when he played.
That split helped fuel a broader debate after Brown's social-media clash with analytics critics, even as he defended himself by noting no player has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since his 2016 draft.
For Philadelphia, the trade is a high-stakes bet that Brown's efficiency improves alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey; for Boston, it is a cap-era wager that cheaper options can replace enough of his production.