Brad Stevens went through with trading Jaylen Brown — and now must answer for it

Jaylen Brown is no longer a member of the Boston Celtics.

After three rumored blockbuster swings — for Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and then Giannis Antetokounmpo — Brown was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday evening. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens followed through this go-around, and it amounted to netting the organization an imbalanced return for its 29-year-old homegrown 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

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Now… it’s time for Stevens to explain himself.

Stevens and majority owner Bill Chisholm need to answer the floodgate of questions that trading Brown will most certainly prompt. Last week, Stevens dodged questions centered around the organization’s standing with Brown following the failed Giannis pursuit. This time, Stevens and Chisholm owe the fanbase transparency after taking a notable step back just two years after the franchise sat atop the league as champions.

Last offseason, the roster demolition was accepted. Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet left Boston, and the reasons were clear. Jayson Tatum had just suffered a ruptured Achilles, so maintaining a Louis Vuitton-priced roster made little sense to ownership’s benefit, even if the end of the tunnel was a postseason miss.

That didn’t happen, and Brown was the reason.

Boston, MA – April 19: Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dunks in the third quarter. The Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images

Brown made the Celtics competitive, his leadership kept the ship from sinking after the team’s 0-3 start last October, and it helped remove any and all pressure from the ownership group’s motives. Because of Brown, there was no focus on the departure of a championship rotation, and instead all eyes were drawn to the development of Boston’s young and inexperienced core.

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Stevens received credit as the NBA’s…


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Publish date : 2026-07-02 01:52:00

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