After a near decade long partnership, the Boston Celtics opted to part ways with their superstar forward Jaylen Brown. A summer of continuous rumours and trade talk finally came to an end when Brown was shipped to Philadelphia, in return Boston received a package centred around aging star Paul George and two first round picks (2028 via LAC/PHI and 2031 via PHI). Brown’s relations with co-star Jayson Tatum as well as other key figures of the Celtics’ front office undoubtedly played their part, however the constraints of his supermax contract weighed heaviest on Brad Stevens’ shoulders. Many have already written off this trade as one of the worst in recent basketball history, is that the case?
George has just 1 year left of his four-year $212 million contract he signed with the 76ers in 2024 (plus a player option for the 27/28 season). In contrast Brown is still owed $171 million dollars over the final three years of his supermax contract. This provides Boston with a tradeable asset in search of a secondary star to play with Tatum and will allow the team to continue to remain below the second apron of luxury taxes through the 26/27 season. If the aim is to remain below the apron it is likely George will remain on the team throughout this upcoming season – therefore the question remains why Paul George?
Across both their careers Paul George has consistently proven to be a better 3-point shooter than Jaylen Brown. George shot the ball from deep more efficiently than Brown last season in both the playoffs (49.3% - 40.5%) and the regular season (39.2% - 34.7%). His shot profile should also suit Joe Mazzulla’s offense slightly better than Brown’s as he averaged 6.9 three-point attempts per game compared to Brown’s 5.7. The former Sixers man also shot 47.5% from the corner last season (29/61) compared to the 38% (19/50). This was an element of offense Boston has missed since Jrue Holiday’s departure from the team in 2025.
Paul George Shot Map 25/26 - Blue and Red Jaylen Brown Shot Map 25/26 - Green and Red
Jaylen Brown was very vocal about his stance that he is one of if not the best two-way player in the NBA today. Despite this, multi-time all-star George has some of the best defensive metrics in the game and many would argue that when it comes to the defensive side of the game, he is still a better player. A direct comparison shows the success George has found throughout his career.
Defensive comparison of Paul George and Jaylen Brown - via Hoops Junkie
On the contrary Boston’s success – especially throughout numerous playoff runs – has come from having two-star players who were on the court 95% of the time. ‘The best type of ability is availability’ Yogi Berra once said and he is not wrong, across an 82-game regular season you need your best players on the court to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference. George has played just 78 games over his two-year stint as a Sixer and has only played more than 70 games in just one season since 2019. Stevens and co must have some faith in their newly acquired star to be able to stay healthy, however it seems unlikely to be the case at age 36.
Many already criticise Joe Mazzulla and his staff for settling for too many three point attempts and not getting to the basket enough. Losing Brown will not help with that. The majority of Brown’s success last season came from getting into the paint and scoring at the basket or in the midrange. George’s shot chart shows he either scores at the basket or from beyond the arc – this is widely seen as the most efficient way to score the ball. However, the value of the midrange shot is still important, as getting into those areas provides an alternative that the defence does not expect. Boston also ranked dead last in free throw attempts per game last season and Brown was the one player who consistently got to the line (7.5 attempts per game). George only averaged 3 attempts per game last season – granted on a significantly lower usage rate than Brown. Although George has never averaged over five attempts per game in his career, so he is unlikely to be able to provide the same production from the charity stripe.
As for which player’s game compliments Jayson Tatum’s the most it is a tricky question. Brown’s ability to score on all three levels means he is compatible with virtually any team’s offense. Although it could be argued that George’s comfort playing as a second option allows him to play off Tatum at an elite level. Ultimately time will only tell who if George can fulfil the hole in Boston’s offense.
Those who argue Jaylen Brown's departure weakens the Celtics are correct and in many ways that is because of who he was traded to, just as much as who Boston received in return. Sending a multi-time all-star to a division rival who beat you in the playoffs last season is a strange decision by any means, and Brad Stevens will have to hope his move does not come back to haunt him.
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