NBA executives expressed surprise after the Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, with many comparing the reaction to the shock that followed the February 2025 Luka Doncic deal, according to ESPN. While Brown had been openly shopped, several front offices were taken aback by the return from a division rival.
The Celtics received one unprotected first-round pick, another first-round pick or swap depending on where it lands, and a pair of second-rounders in the deal, while the 76ers moved veteran wing Paul George, 36, and shed a remaining two-year, $110.7 million contract, ESPN reported. One general manager told ESPN, “I mean, the guy got traded for less than Walker Kessler. That’s baffling to me.”
Brown entered the trade as a five-time All-Star coming off his best statistical season and a sixth-place finish in MVP voting, ESPN noted. He ranked fourth in the league in scoring at a career-high 28.7 points per game and posted career bests of 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Brown joined Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic as the only players to average at least 25 points, six rebounds and five assists that season, and he is widely regarded as a strong defender who often guards the opponent’s top scorer.
Despite those credentials, executives and analytics staff differed on Brown’s value. “The stats guys in every room don’t see him close to that — probably the widest gap in the league,” one general manager told ESPN. The Celtics had a better net rating with Brown off the floor in each of the past four seasons and in six of the past eight, a point cited by teams using advanced models.
Executives also questioned the timing and approach of the Celtics’ front office. “I’m asking all the same questions,” another general manager said to ESPN, including why Boston’s front office, led by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, moved quickly and why the club did not pursue a different course if it was intent on trading Brown.
