The Boston Celtics just traded their Finals MVP, 29-year-old Jaylen Brown, who had a career year, to their biggest Eastern Conference rival, in exchange for a 36-year-old who has played only 78 games over the last two seasons…
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Even recent championship winner and New York Knicks star Josh Hart couldn’t resist summing it up on X:
“The East offseason is crazy.”
Hart wasn’t wrong. While Sixers fans celebrated acquiring an All-NBA talent in his prime, Celtics fans are still struggling to understand the deal and didn’t hesitate to call it one of the franchise’s worst in recent memory. Also, what happened in the last few weeks makes this trade seem even more like a desperate move.
After aggressively pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo in hopes of extending their championship window, the Celtics have now traded Jaylen Brown for Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, and two second-round picks (2028, 2030).
The trade marks a dramatic shift in both houses.
For the Sixers, Brown comes in fresh off the best season of his career, finishing sixth in the MVP ladder. He recorded 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game last season. Now he joins Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and the rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe to give the 76ers a legitimate championship core.
The Celtics, meanwhile, find themselves in a far murkier position. After failing to acquire Giannis, a move that would have immediately made them favorites for the title, they shifted their focus to a 36-year-old who has two years of injury-plagued performances and a 25-game suspension. With Jayson Tatum still recovering from a serious Achilles injury, the C’s front office has prioritized veteran experience and draft capital over star power.
The fastest comparison fans made wasn’t flattering and came with a caveat.
In February 2025, the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old generational talent who had recently appeared in the NBA Finals, to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
The deal was instantly criticized as one of the worst in NBA history: trading a player in his prime to a rival for an older star on the wrong side of his prime. Dallas’s GM was fired months later. The franchise is now in rebuild mode, starting from the top brass.
Now, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, who, by the way, has a decent reputation when it comes to trading a player gracefully, has shipped his team’s cornerstone to a division rival, which will likely also damage his own reputation. It was just last week when Stevens spoke highly of Brown.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens told the media. “I’m never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around.”
So, after all this, if you decide to trade Brown, the embarrassing parallel with Doncic’s trade writes itself, and that’s exactly why fans are furious.
The Jaylen Brown blockbuster: Celtics fans in disarray
The online reaction only grew harsher over time.
One fan wrote, “THE CELTICS HAVE GOT TO BE THE STUPIDEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE RIGHT AFTER THE MAVS FOR TRADING LUKA.”
The comparison focused on what Boston got in return. Parallely, Anthony Davis struggled with injuries and rarely suited up for the Mavericks. Many fans now fear the Celtics could face a similar outcome with PG13, who has a recent history of knee, adductor, and finger injuries and has experienced a decline in production. That’s not the end of it. Paul George is owed $54.1 million next season and holds a player option for $56.6 million for 2027-28.
A fan wrote, “Celtics are a finished franchise now.” After losing Jaylen Brown, the Celtics saw their championship ceiling drop. With Tatum yet to regain his usual rhythm since the injury and PG’s declining production, the front office has a lot of work to do to keep the team in the hunt. However, Boston now lacks trade assets, high-potential young players, or cap space…
Another reaction attempted to explain the Celtics’ desperation in the bluntest possible way.
“Lmao wow they really wanted to get rid of him.”
Lmao wow they really wanted to get rid of him
That sentiment reflected the belief that Brown remained on the trade block even after the failed Giannis pursuit. That might have been due to multiple factors outside the basketball court. The 76ers star has a direct way to communicate with his fans on Twitch, and he has engaged in arguments with analyst Stephen A. Smith in the offseason after calling Joel Embiid a flopper following the Celtics’ playoff exit. There’s been a lot of negative attention around Brown.
Brown, currently entering the third year of his supermax, is also eligible for a $142 million extension over two years. Now, whether the Celtics felt that was too much money for their books to handle, or whether it’s the negative PR bit, is something only Stevens will be able to clear up in his next media interview.
A few other fans focused on where Brown ended up.
“So Boston just traded their “championship player” to the team they blew a 3-1 lead against in the playoffs? Wow.”
The trade sent Brown directly to an Eastern Conference rival that had already emerged as one of its biggest postseason obstacles. Remember, this is the same 76ers team that came from 1-3 behind to beat the Celtics in 7.
The criticism soon shifted toward Celtics president Brad Stevens.
“FIRE BRAD STEVENS. This is hands down the worst trade in Celtics history.”
Whether that trade proves a success will depend on how the next few seasons unfold, but the frustration revealed just how quickly confidence in the team’s direction vanished.
Another fan wrote, “Paul George once again in a all time bad trade.”
George’s trade history didn’t help the optics either. The Clippers once gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round picks to get him, a deal now widely considered one of the worst in franchise history. Many Celtics fans believe Boston is heading down the same path.
At least Dallas got back a former All-NBA player on paper. Boston received picks and a 36-year-old who has barely played in two years. History will determine which franchise won. But for now, only one fan base is celebrating.