Celtics undergoing confusing revamp with Jaylen Brown trade

The Boston Celtics weren't able to trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo in June. Once the calendar moved to July, they sent their All-Star guard to the Philadelphia 76ers in a stunning deal.

The Sixers sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks and veteran Paul George to Boston in exchange for Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP. The lack of a star coming back suggests Boston was motivated to move on from Brown and his massive contract, regardless of return.

Jaylen Brown may have worn out his welcome with Boston Celtics

Negotiations with the Milwaukee Bucks weren't the first time the Celtics put Brown in trade talks. He was part of a proposed package for Kevin Durant before the Brooklyn Nets sent him to the Phoenix Suns. Brown was in constant trade rumors, real or imagined, due to the perceived poor fit between him and superstar Jayson Tatum.

This year felt different. Maybe it was because the Celtics suffered an upset loss to the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, one year after being upset by the New York Knicks as they tried to defend their 2024 title. Maybe it was that Brown said last season was his "favorite year" as the team defied expectations with Brown as the No. 1 option with Tatum recovering from an Achilles tear.

Brown has been quite vocal this summer, complaining about NBA officials on live streams, feuding with media personalities ranging from Stephen A. Smith to ESPN's Bobby Marks and calling ESPN "unethical." It's possible the Celtics simply don't want the headaches, especially at $182M over the next three seasons.

Celtics making bold revamp

It's hard to defend this trade for Boston from a basketball perspective. Paul George is 36 years old and has played less than half of his possible games since signing with the 76ers two years ago. Last season, he averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while making $51.7M and serving a 25-game suspension for using PEDs and is widely viewed as one of the worst free-agent signings in NBA history.

However, his contract is cheaper and expires one season earlier than Brown's mega-deal. With Tatum making $58.5M next season in the second year of his own massive five-year deal, the Celtics may not have wanted to go forward with two such pricey stars who did win a title, but have a history of playoff disappointments.

They lost to the underdog Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, fell to the eight-seed Miami Heat in 2023 and dropped two series as massive favorites in the last two years. Perhaps the team didn't believe in the future of this core, even two years after they won a championship.

It still feels like a shockingly small return for a player who got the sixth-most votes for the All-NBA team last season and won both the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards in 2024.

Considering that the Los Angeles Lakers traded two first-round picks and two swaps for zero-time All-Star Walker Kessler, it's shocking that Brown changed teams for a 2031 first-rounder and a 2028 pick swap, and one of the worst contracts in the NBA.

It may be the first in a series of Celtics trade, but right now, this trade looks like a disaster for Boston.