Paul George was the key piece around whom the 76ers built their trade package to land Jaylen Brown in the blockbuster move that shook the league. Subsequently, the new Celtics forward decided to make a stellar first impression on the front office without even playing a single game.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Paul George has decided to waive his $3.9 million trade bonus in a move that is baffling to anyone who does not understand the financial implications behind it.
While the 76ers are the ones who would have been liable to pay the trade bonus, it would have been a salary cap hit on the Celtics through the remaining years of George’s contract.
Therefore, the Celtics, who are currently projected at a -$945,000 in luxury tax room, would have gone beyond -$2.5 million, and thus incurred more luxury tax, as they would have headed closer to the first apron. But this decision from George allows the Celtics’ front office to avoid that additional cap hit.
Hence, Paul George remains at a $54.1 million salary cap hit for 2026-27 and a $56.6 million hit for 2027-28 if he picks up his player option. He now joins the list of players like James Harden, Jalen Green, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, and Harrison Barnes among those who have eliminated or reduced their trade bonuses to make it a more team-friendly move.
Brad Stevens Praises Paul George At Celtics’ Press Conference
Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, spoke very highly of Paul George at the Celtics’ first press conference after the NBA moratorium was lifted.
“I’ll start by saying we like Paul. Paul’s a really good player. We’re not very far removed from all sitting in our series against Philadelphia and watching Paul be a guy that could carry you, for portions of a quarter or a half, but also play a complementary role on both ends of the floor at the highest of levels,” Stevens said.
“He’s excited to come to Boston. He actually already came in this weekend, and we’re excited to get a chance to work with him,” Stevens added.
“I think the biggest thing is that, plus the picks, plus the optionality moving forward. Paul’s contract is shorter. You know he’ll have his choice with his player option next year. But I think that you know, and again I keep going back to like myself as a kid, like I don’t want to hear about picks and optionality. I don’t, unfortunately, in my position, that matters. So you know that’s where we are.”
“Can I tell you exactly what’s going to happen? No. We’re excited about Paul. We’re excited about a lot of our young guys. We’re excited about the depth of our group. We’re excited about our very best players, and we think we’ve got a good team, and we think we’ve got a lot of options moving forward,” concluded Stevens.
So despite rumors that the Celtics might be looking to shop Paul George further in the trade market, it seems that the Celtics’ front office feels they have found their complementary piece to continue with Jayson Tatum as the undisputed number one option in the future.
It will certainly be interesting to see how George fits into the Celtics’ playing style in the coming 2026-27 season.
