The Philadelphia 76ers got the bargain of the offseason by trading Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-rounders for Jaylen Brown because the Celtics didn’t want to pay 70 percent of their salary cap to two stars. Brad Stevens admitted as much after the trade. Boston has made several moves to limit their spending over the last two years, and the Sixers are the biggest winner of this summer’s head-scratching deal.
Brown was one of two superstars to change teams this offseason. The Bucks got four players, three first-round picks, one first-round swap, and two second-rounders for Giannis Antetokounmpo. A Kawhi Leonard trade was agreed to, but it is currently on hold until the NBA wraps up the investigation into the Clippers. If it goes through, the Raptors gave up an All-Star, two first-round selections, one swap, and two second-rounders to get Leonard. Brown was a steal, especially when one of the first-round picks Philly gave up could become a swap.
Brown just finished sixth in MVP voting and was second-team All-NBA. He is one of the best players on the planet. The Sixers didn’t have to pay an elite price, especially when fans consider they dumped Paul George’s contract in the deal.
76ers made the steal of the offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown
The Sixers wisely avoided the Giannis market to land Brown. Antetokounmpo is the superior player, but the injury history is real. Jaylen has appeared in 65 or more games in four of the last five years. He also keeps getting better. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP was expected to command significantly more on the trade market.
Philadelphia wanted to move on from Paul George and his max contract. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the 76ers got Brown for nearly free when factoring in what it would have taken to dump PG.
Credit to the new Sixers front office led by Bob Myers and Mike Gansey. This was the heist of the offseason. Brown is coming off arguably the best season of his career and was just Finals MVP in 2024. The 29-year-old is still in his prime and figures to be a difference-maker in Philly.
The Celtics have to pay George $110.7 million over the next two seasons. Dumping that money would have cost the Sixers at least one first-round draft pick and multiple seconds. The fact that they got Brown on top of that is what stunned the NBA world.
The Sixers didn’t just get a star. They improved their odds of winning a championship. The depth chart got significantly better this summer. It wasn’t just Brown. They added Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Ariel Hukporti, and Labaron Philon Jr. to their roster. Philly thinks they have the top-end talent and the depth to compete with the NBA’s best.
The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off the steal of the offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown, and they can thank the Celtics’ spending concerns. All of those were brought on by the punitive second apron in the new CBA. Philly fans don’t care how it happened. The Sixers are just excited to have Brown and improve their title odds.
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