The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers made the most stunning trade of this NBA offseason official on Monday. The 76ers have now acquired Jaylen Brown from the Celtics for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
Neither player could have foreseen this move heading into this offseason, but here we are now. George has made the trip to the Auerbach Center in Boston following the trade and posed for pictures with his new jersey.
View this post on Instagram
With George were his wife Daniella and their three children, Olivia, Natasha, and Paul Vuk. Celtics fans might not be too happy about this trade, but they showed love to the 36-year-old here.
“We love a PAUL in Boston,” one said, referring to Boston’s love for Paul Pierce.
“I hope PG goes crazy and stays healthy,” a fan wishes that the injury bug stays away and George balls out.
“It isn’t his fault he got traded. As fans, we gotta move on and make the most of it. Welcome to Boston PG,” one hopes that the fanbase won’t take out their frustration over the trade on George.
“We gonna get Pacer PG13 form, let’s go,” a fan believes they’ll get the Indiana Pacers version of George.
“The more I see it, the less I hate it, prove us wrong PG,” one hopes George proves everyone wrong.
“Can’t wait for all the haters to be silenced by the upcoming season,” a fan is confident that George will silence the critics.
The Celtics won’t be getting the best version of George, but he is still a good player. The 36-year-old averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the 76ers in 2025-26.
We probably saw the best of George, who was suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, in that first-round series between the 76ers and the Celtics. The nine-time All-Star averaged 17.4 points on 55.0% shooting from beyond the arc as Philadelphia stormed back from down 3-1 to win in seven games.
To go with hitting some big shots, George also did a pretty good job guarding Brown and Jayson Tatum. He remains a solid two-way wing, and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens brought that up when the move was made official.
“Paul George has been one of the best two-way wings of the last decade in the NBA and can easily fit into any group,” Stevens said. “He’s looking forward to joining the Celtics, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family.”
George also waived his $3.9 million trade bonus, which would have taken his cap hit to about $57.7 million. It was a nice gesture of goodwill.
The Celtics are the fifth NBA team that George will suit up for. He began his career with the Indiana Pacers after they selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and would gradually blossom into a star there.
With team success eluding George, though, he wanted out in 2017 and was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was with the Thunder that he would enjoy the best season of his career. George averaged 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2018-19, and finished third in MVP and DPOY voting. The Thunder would lose in the first round, however, and he was on the move again.
The Los Angeles Clippers acquired George from the Thunder in 2019. The Clippers would end up regretting the move, as they gave up too much in value while he missed a lot of time due to injury.
George then left for the 76ers in free agency in 2024, but failed to live up to expectations. Will things be different with the Celtics? If they aren’t, well, then the fanbase would get even more upset about trading Brown for him. It’s hard to see a scenario where we look back at this as a good trade for the Celtics, but maybe George will prove us all wrong.
