Charles Barkley, the Philadelphia 76ers legend, recently sat down with NBC Sports and spoke his mind on the team’s trade for Jaylen Brown from the Celtics.
“I was like, this can’t be. This can’t be a true story. Because you know, there’s so much fake stuff on the internet now. I’m like, no, they didn’t trade him to the Sixers. I number one, you’re like, wow. And secondly, you’re like, well, what do they give up? Then you’re like, they gave up a Paul George and some draft picks. I say, man, the Sixers just got away with murder, man,” Barkley said on NBC Sports: Philadelphia.
“I say so because, you know, they were dead in the water, to be honest with you, because with Paul’s contract and Joel’s inability to stay healthy, they were going to be out of the running for the next three to five years. And now all of a sudden they’re legit contenders.”
“And, you know, I’ve obviously heard everybody’s opinion. I’m not sure what the hell the Celtics were doing. There’s no way wrestling. You can stink up a good trade. Giving up an aging guy to a guy who was probably the MVP in the first half of the season. It’s crazy,” said Barkley as he concluded his initial remarks.
Among the ball-dominant players at the core of the 76ers’ offense, the main concern now arises about how they plan to create a pecking order with the team’s offense. Barkley was then asked about how the 76ers should manage their offense going forward.
“Listen, you’re just going to have to make that work. I mean, he and Maxey and Edgecombe and whatever they get out of Joel they’re going to be a really good team. You know Nick is a hell of a coach, and Jalen’s a hell of a player.”
“But the big winner in this conversation is probably Tyrese Maxey, because he was going to be like out. He was going to be irrelevant for the next few years because the Sixers were not going to be contenders. But he’s, to me, the big winner because now they’ve got a legit shot.”
“Because you look at the East, the Knicks aren’t going to be as good next year. They’re losing players in free agency. The Celtics are definitely not going to be as good. So Toronto is better. But the Sixers just became a contender in the East.”
“I mean, it’s that, was I you do you go from like being irrelevant to being a serious contender in the Eastern Conference for the next few years. It’s pretty good for Philadelphia right now.”
Subsequently, Barkley was asked how he expected Jaylen Brown to respond to this trade.
“Hey, listen, he’s got to be steaming right now, to be honest with you. Number one, they gave him away for nothing,” he said.
“Listen, Paul George was a hell of a player five years ago. No disrespect to him. He’s aging. And you guys know players don’t get better as they get older.”
“Old people don’t get healthy. They die. I always say that all the time. You don’t get that he’s not going to get nearly as good as Jaylen Brown for the next few years. So they gave him away for nothing.”
“But also, you’re like, yeah, we don’t want to get rid of you so bad. We gave you away basically for nothing, and we get to play against you multiple times and probably in the playoffs. So if I’m Jaylen Brown, man, this is going to make me, as you talk about, and you guys know, man, during the summer when you’re training, you’re just playing against air, and you’re like trying to motivate yourself.”
“If this doesn’t motivate Jaylen Brown, you’re not a competitor. Because not only did you trade me after I had one of my best seasons. You’ve got to play against me four or five times a year and in the playoffs,” explained Barkley.
Jaylen Brown finished the 2025-26 season sixth in the MVP voting race. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 71 games while shooting 47.7% from the floor and 34.7% from behind the three-point line.
Barkley feels that getting traded after such a season should create a chip on Brown’s shoulder that would propel the 76ers to championship contention in the 2026-27 season.
Jaylen Brown Is Still Processing His 76ers Trade
The former Finals MVP has expressed how he feels disrespected in the aftermath of a heartbreaking trade away from the franchise that drafted him.
Even while addressing Boston’s youth at a seminar of the Bridge program, Jaylen Brown also admitted how attached he still is to the city of Boston. He subtly called out the Celtics’ front office for separating him from the city in a heartfelt claim.
“It’s ok, things happen. I love the city of Boston. I always have. I’ve been here for 10 years, that’s a third of my life. I’ll be 30 in October. So Boston is home, and no management or organization will take that away,” he said.
But Brown still feels that the first time he faces the Celtics, he will have a smile on his face in what he says will be a weird experience for him.
“I don’t know. I’m probably gonna smile and laugh. I have no idea how it’s going to feel. It’s probably gonna feel weird. It’s still weird… My brain is like, ‘Philly? Of all places? Why would you do that?” said Brown while talking to a Celtics fan after the seminar.
“To me, I don’t know, I’m still trying to make sense of it, still processing,” Brown later added.
The 29-year-old star’s first reaction to being involved in trade rumors was that it would unleash a monster in him. While the Celtics’ reasoning may be questionable, they have certainly given him the chance to consistently contend for a championship now with the young core of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, combined with the veteran experience from Joel Embiid.
Brown had famously predicted early on in his career that he would have five NBA championships before turning 28. But it looks like the chances of achieving that goal, even in the second half of his career, have certainly become better.
Do you think Jaylen Brown will have a better career with the 76ers in terms of individual performance and championship ambitions? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
