NBA summer trade 2026: Blockbuster deal sends Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George to reshuffle rosters

Jaylen Brown is no longer a Boston Celtic. The team agreed Wednesday to send its 2024 Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, ending a 10-season run that included five All-Star appearances and a championship.The move lands days after Boston's attempt to land Giannis Antetokounmpo collapsed, and it reshapes the top of the Eastern Conference heading into 2026-27. Philadelphia adds a 29-year-old two-way scorer to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, while Boston pivots toward Paul George and a fresh haul of draft capital.

All about Jaylen Brown and Paul George trade

The full deal sends Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for George, a 2028 first-round pick that can convert into a more favorable pick swap, an unprotected 2031 first-rounder, and two second-round picks in 2028 and 2030.

Charania first reported the agreement, and both The Athletic and The Boston Globe confirmed the terms Wednesday.

The trade did not come out of nowhere. Boston spent much of June trying to package Brown with two unprotected first-round picks in a deal for Antetokounmpo, only to watch Milwaukee send its superstar to Miami instead. With that avenue closed, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens kept exploring the market, and a league source told Charania the team was "full-blown shopping" Brown by Wednesday.

Boston's season ended in stunning fashion, blowing a 3-1 series lead and losing Game 7 of a first-round matchup against the very team Brown now joins. That collapse came after Brown carried the Celtics to a 56-win season while Jayson Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles, finishing sixth in MVP voting along the way. Sources told Charania that Brown never requested a trade, and Stevens had publicly called him a "big part" of the team as recently as last month, while acknowledging he could "never predict the future.

"Brown's frustration bubbled up publicly after the playoff loss. He called Embiid a flopper during a Twitch stream, saying, "Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He know it. This ain't breaking news. It is what it is." He also pushed back on any notion his Boston tenure was undervalued, posting that "Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago," a claim backed by the Celtics' 523 total wins with him in the lineup over that stretch.For Philadelphia, the trade caps a fast start for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who is betting that a healthier, younger wing gives the 76ers a real path forward alongside Embiid and Maxey. George, who turns 37 next May, played just 37 games last season after serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy, though he was efficient against Boston in the playoffs before this deal sent him back to the team he just eliminated.

Jaylen Brown and Paul George stats comparison

Jaylen Brown and Paul George contract status

Brown's new deal in Philadelphia pays him $57 million, $61 million and $64.9 million over the next three seasons. George carries two years left on his contract, set to earn $54.1 million next season with a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28.Boston didn't stop with the George trade Wednesday. The Celtics also agreed to free agent deals with Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, rounding out a busy day that reshapes the roster around Tatum.

Sportsbooks reacted immediately, with Philadelphia's title odds jumping from 60-1 to 22-1 on DraftKings while Boston's Finals odds shifted from plus-700 to 10-1.What happens next depends on health as much as talent. George has appeared in more than 56 games only once in the past five seasons, and Boston's front office now has to prove it can build a contender around Tatum without the wing partner who helped deliver its 18th championship. In Philadelphia, the pressure shifts to Embiid staying on the floor long enough for a Brown-Maxey-Embiid trio to matter in May and June.