Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) reacts to his three pointer against the New York Knicks during the first quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
When the Boston Celtics initially traded for Paul George from the Philadelphia 76ers, Bill Simmons was one of the loudest critics. Many shared his view on the trade, as numerous talking heads and fans alike agreed that it was a bad deal for Boston.
However, Simmons has completely changed his mind after admitting he talked himself into the idea of the 36-year-old small forward playing in Boston. He said that, essentially, because he is a Celtics fan is why he is beginning to change his mind during the latest episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
“I've kind of talked myself into the Paul George trade,” Simmons said. “August 23rd. Took over 50 days. It happened this week, yeah… Honestly, 50 days was a long time. But now I've talked myself into it. I had to! What else am I going to do?”
I have an announcement pic.twitter.com/3vA3zeQbMC
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 24, 2026
The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031), and two future second-round picks. The main reason why the trade was so criticized to begin with was that Boston dealt away a player in his prime for an aging star who is deemed injury-prone, along with future draft capital the front office can't use for two years.
George has failed to play more than 41 games in the past two seasons. His production has dropped during that span as well. The nine-time All-Star ended last season averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game (37 games played) while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 39.2% from beyond the three-point line.