Initial reaction to Jaylen Brown trade, East outlook and would you have done this deal?

The craziness does not stop.

On Tuesday, we found out LeBron James was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and Kawhi Leonard was going back to the future with the Toronto Raptors. On Wednesday, the first full day of NBA free agency, we got something that might have been even more shocking: The Boston Celtics are trading Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, for Paul George and two first-round picks, along with more draft capital.

After all the talk of the Celtics holding out for a huge package of players and picks, the smaller return was staggering.

After they picked their jaws up off the floor, The Athletic’s David Aldridge, Jason Jones, Eric Koreen and Jason Quick got together to discuss their initial reactions to the Brown trade, the Celtics’ side of things and how this changes the Eastern Conference’s outlook.

What was your initial reaction to the trade?

Aldridge: Not surprised Boston traded Brown. The momentum certainly looked like it was heading in that direction the last few days. Not really surprised, either, that the Celtics couldn’t get four firsts for Brown when the whole league knew the C’s were pushing to move on from their star forward. I’m not even complaining that Boston took on the remaining two years and $110 million (including a player option for 2027-28 at $56.6 million) of George’s contract. PG-13 isn’t what he used to be, but he played very well in Philly’s comeback series win over Boston in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

But I’m stunned that Boston didn’t hold out for a single young player. I’m not talking about Tyrese Maxey or VJ Edgecombe, who I trust were untouchable. But there had to be someone in the league that would be available for Brown, someone who could help Jayson Tatum attack the basket. I mean, there was no chance Detroit would entertain a package including, say, Ausar Thompson, for Brown? Maybe there’s another shoe to drop here, a secondary trade in the offing involving one of the non-Tatums that will fill that hole. But I think it’s a hole — a big one.

Memorable moments from Jaylen Brown’s 10 seasons in Boston

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Jones: The Sixers turned George’s contract into Brown? That’s incredible. Maybe the Sixers can escape the second round of the playoffs with a veteran such as Brown, who had an MVP-level season in 2025-26. I wonder how it got to this point with Brown. Is there something Boston knows that will be revealed? I understand the Celtics pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it seems as if they just saw no reason to bring Brown back and figured the draft picks were worth the deal. This isn’t prime Playoff P, but does Palmdale, Calif.’s finest become the second option in Boston? There is a lot to sort out.

Koreen: Covering the Raptors as I do, I thought about the Leonard trade from about 24 hours prior. I can’t believe that the LA Clippers got more for Leonard, who is 35, has a history of injuries and had a large say in where he went because he had one year left on his contract, than the Celtics got for Brown, who is 29, durable and signed for three more years.

It makes no sense to me, and it made me wonder how toxic the Brown/Celtics situation really was.

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If you were running the Celtics, would you have done this trade instead of trying to mend fences with Brown?

Aldridge: I’m not in Boston’s building every day. I don’t know who said what to whom or how much bass was in their voice when they said it. It’s easy for anyone to sit outside and say, “Hey, just get together and hash it out.” No one really knows what couples are like when it’s just the two of them in a room together. That goes triple for NBA players and their teams, because your partner likely isn’t pulling down eight figures annually. Brown could have said, “Get me the (bleep) out of here.” Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, could have said, “I’ve got to get him out of here.”

The Celtics also have a new governor in Bill Chisholm. He didn’t draft Brown. He wasn’t there for all the years of development and painful playoff losses. And he wasn’t in charge when Brown won NBA Finals MVP in 2024. I’m guessing that made moving on from Brown a much easier sell for Stevens than it might have been had Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca still been in charge.

Jones: I would have tried to make things right. Replacing Brown with an older George doesn’t seem to make Boston better next season. The cost to mend fences would probably be a contract extension, but you do that to keep Brown. I’m still waiting to hear why Boston had to get rid of Brown for this to make more sense.

Koreen: If this is all the Celtics could get, I would have fought like hell to make Brown feel wanted and respected in Boston. Brown is a finals MVP and had been a Celtics lifer. Unless Brown was explicitly unhappy and demanding out, I would have done everything possible to make it work. (I’m not terribly convincing, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered.)

Besides, it’s not as if Brown is getting “his own team.” Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are 76ers. I have to assume Boston had tired of the Brown experience, but it was not a masterclass in star management or trade negotiations unless we’re all missing something.

Quick: So much of the NBA is communication and relationships. I would have tried to mend fences, but obviously, the Celtics (or Brown) felt there had been irreparable damage.

Where does this rank among the weirdest superstar trades?

Aldridge: Bro. Luka Dončić got traded at midnight on a random Saturday in February. This doesn’t even crack the top 50.

Wednesday’s trade was surprising, but it wasn’t quite a Luka-level shock. (Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)

Jones: It’s not even the weirdest trade this offseason. I’m still mulling what the Portland Trail Blazers will do with all those guards after trading for Ja Morant. Because of all the speculation, it’s not as shocking as the Luka trade. We knew Brown was likely to be dealt, but sending him to a rival was surprising, even with the draft picks Boston receives.

Koreen: Well, it ain’t the Luka trade. We’re certainly gone from the days of teams avoiding trading within the conference or, ha, the division. In fact, I think the James Harden trade from Brooklyn to Philadelphia goes down as the weirdest 76ers trade of this decade, even if that one was rumored beforehand.

But I’m not going to act as if I was not shocked. Perhaps it’s not weird, but it’s definitely jarring.

Quick: I don’t know about weird — it just seems (from the outside) so unnecessary.

What does this do to the balance of power in the East, where so many teams are aggressively trying to win now? If you had to pick the four teams that will make the second round, who would they be?

Aldridge: It’s easy to now put Philly ahead of Boston, but I’d hold off on that. For one, the Sixers still need Embiid to be healthy for most of a regular season, and then for the postseason. That’s rarely a good bet. (The same goes for Toronto and Leonard.) For two, the Celtics could still have something else up their sleeves. But, this moment? In early July? New York, Philly, Boston, Cleveland. (The Cavs could move up higher if there’s a reunion in the offing.)

New York celebrates the 2026 NBA champion New York Knicks

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Jones: Philly puts itself ahead of Boston at this moment, assuming it has some depth. The Sixers are closer to New York on paper but will lack the cohesiveness the Knicks have built. Cleveland, Toronto and Indiana will be lurking, too. Detroit still has Cade Cunningham, but duplicating last season will be tough.

Koreen: It further complicates that balance, for sure. I’m going to try not to undersell the Celtics’ infrastructure, especially after the year they just had. Also, there are important players coming back from significant injuries, obscuring the picture. The offseason is not over.

If I had to guess, I’d say New York, Indiana, Boston and Miami will be the East’s final four. I don’t feel good about that answer, though. Ask me again when we know where James will be playing.

Quick: This definitely takes the Celtics down a notch and probably out of home-court advantage in the first round, behind New York, Miami, Cleveland and Detroit (if it keeps Jalen Duren). Don’t forget Indiana.

Which of the following teams do you have the least faith in at this moment: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Indiana, Toronto, Cleveland, Miami and Detroit?

Aldridge: Well, Indiana. I suspect that while Tyrese Haliburton will, at some point next season, be close to his normal self again, I don’t think that’ll be on opening night. Can the Pacers play at their same suffocating pace with Ivica Zubac in the middle instead of Myles Turner? I think it’s going to take a while for them to jell, and it may take more than one season.

Jones: I almost said Boston, but I’m wondering what Detroit can do to improve. I believe the Pistons will keep Duren, but adding someone to help Cunningham score and facilitate would be ideal.

Koreen: Don’t take this to mean I believe they will finish eighth among the teams listed, but the Cavaliers did nothing to make me believe they are a serious team in the playoffs. They’ve largely run it back in the offseason, save for losing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis. Until they sign LeBron or make another alteration, I will not trust them.

Quick: Detroit. If the Pistons lose Duren, I think they lose a lot of their soul, especially with Tobias Harris also gone.