The Boston Celtics‘ decision to trade Jaylen Brown has proven to be controversial.
With Jayson Tatum sidelined for the majority of the 2025-26 campaign due to a torn Achilles, Brown produced the best season of his career. He finished sixth in MVP voting and led Boston to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, his supermax contract, impending two-year extension, and a shot profile that doesn’t fit Boston’s system were all reasons that contributed to his shock exit. Brad Stevens flipped Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Brown is happy with how things went down. During a recent livestream with iShowSpeed, Brown urged the popular streamer to avoid a career in professional basketball, citing a lack of loyalty.
Brown’s comments were clearly in reference to how Boston handled his exit from the team. Stevens had reportedly dangled him in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo before ramping up discussions with other teams around the NBA.
Celtics Joe Mazzulla Breaks Silence on Brown’s Exit
When speaking with the media during Boston’s opening Summer League practice in Las Vegas, Joe Mazzulla spoke on the Celtics’ decision to part with Jaylen Brown.
“I think we actually are still processing it,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously, when something like that happens, it’s not all black and white. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it on and off the court. The part that I hope gets talked about more and the part that we want to focus on the most is really just the respect, the appreciation, and the gratitude for what he did for the Celtics, for 10 years.”
Brown was a key part of Mazzulla’s rotation when the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Championship. Nevertheless, Mazzulla will now be tasked with developing a system spearheaded by Tatum, with Paul George serving as a secondary piece.
Finances Forced Celtics Hand In Brown Trade
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who was speaking on a recent episode of First Take, Brown’s contract and impending extension were key reasons for Boston’s decision to trade him.
“In the case of Jaylen Brown, the Celtics believed that Jaylen Brown was going to be seeking a contract extension this summer,” Windhorst said on a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take. “And if they gave him that extension, not only did they think they were not getting $57 million in value out of him, but then he’d become untradable.”
Brad Stevens had hinted at something similar when addressing the media on July 6.
“I might be wrong. I’m not going to stand up here and be defensive about that. But the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percentage of our usage tied into two players,” Stevens said.
With Brown no longer on the Celtics roster, Boston will be looking toward the future. After all, change is inevitable in the NBA.
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