Brad Stevens Makes Unexpected Decision After Jaylen Brown Trade

To make matters worse, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Brown never requested a trade and the move “was all the Celtics,” which led to more outrage from Celtics faithful.

Just hours after the blockbuster deal became official, Stevens quietly made a decision of his own. Fans quickly noticed that the Celtics president of basketball operations had deactivated his Instagram account amid an avalanche of criticism following the trade.

The trade has been particularly striking because Stevens has built a reputation as one of the NBA’s best executives. Since moving from the bench to the front office, he has consistently found ways to keep Boston among the league’s elite, assembling the roster that won the 2024 NBA championship while navigating injuries, cap challenges and roster turnover. He also earned the NBA’s Executive of the Year award for the 2025-26 season, his second such honor in three years.  

This trade, however, has been labeled by many as one of the rare missteps of Stevens’ executive career. Many continue to question why the Celtics accepted a package centered around a 36-year-old George instead of waiting for a stronger offer.  

To Stevens’ credit, the offseason is far from over. Boston still owns additional draft capital from the deal and the front office could look to make further moves as it tries to build a team around Jayson Tatum. 

In the meantime, though, Stevens will have to live with the criticism after letting go of arguably the franchise’s most valuable player and strengthening a longtime rival.