After being traded by the Boston Celtics, there is an expected level of bitterness that Jaylen Brown might have towards the team. Nobody expected it to happen after the Celtics' season ended, but when it became apparent that Brown was on the block, there wasn't a single mention of the Philadelphia 76ers being the landing spot.
Brown seemed to have some level of communication with the Celtics regarding a possible trade. Over time, the communication faded. The next thing you know, the veteran forward is chucking his phone across the room because he found out he's going to a division rival.
Is this how you treat your stars, Boston?
It's been rare to see a Celtics fan or a Cs-focused analyst give the Celtics the victory in this deal, which swapped out Brown for an aging Paul George with some draft compensation. The masses didn't believe that Brown should've gone.
That's a bad look for Boston--and really the first major stain they are dealing with throughout the Brad Stevens-Joe Mazzulla era. After hearing Jaylen Brown speak during his introductory press conference with the Sixers, one quote might stand out to future star targets for the wrong reasons.
"The whole process [bothered me], to be honest," Brown told reporters. He would follow that by saying that he's moving on, but didn't take the next question before dropping something cryptic.
"Maybe one day we share the details of kind of how everything transpired and all the moving parts that took place. Obviously, it's a lot of speculation, and I feel no need to chime in on it because I'm focused on what's in front of me," Brown added.
With time, Brown will be able to totally move on. It might take a few matchups between the Sixers and the Celtics before the awkwardness fades to the point where it's not even an interesting discussion anymore, but these feelings of confusion and frustration that Brown expressed on Thursday won't be the best look when it comes time for the Celtics to star hunt again. It's hard to see a team treat an MVP-caliber star in such a way after a decade-long relationship.
Pressure is mounting in Boston
There's no question that Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA when he's healthy, but the Celtics' star will face more pressure than ever in 2026-2027. It's the first season he doesn't have Brown as his co-star.
While the Celtics added a seasoned star in Paul George, the Sixers know well just how unreliable he is in the health department. And even when George was on the floor, he failed to flash All-Star qualities more often than not.
The Jaylen Brown trade will be a massive talking point for Philly's rivals throughout the next season. While the Celtics' track record is typically strong, there is hope in Philly that the Sixers made a strong contribution to an eventual downfall.
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