Why Did The Sixers Trade For Jaylen Brown? NBA Insider Reveals Details Behind Star Forward's Celtics Exit image
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) on the court before game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
It was the move of the offseason, until it wasn't; Jaylen Brown's Celtics departure proved as acrimonious as it was eye-catching.
The former Boston star was a talisman at times for the C's, culminating with a Finals MVP triumph in 2024. Things soured across his final season in Boston, however. After being dumped out of the postseason by the 76ers, Brown joined them, falling into Philadelphia's lap in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Here's how the trade came to pass, from the eyes of one of the NBA's most venerable reporters.
Why Did The Sixers Trade For Jaylen Brown?
The Brown trade appeared an unlikely proposition at the start of the offseason, according to The Athletic's Tony Jones. He was a player the organization coveted, even if the finances appeared murky and the path to acquiring him looked far less appealing than some of Philly's adversaries.
According to Jones, Boston was desperate to use Brown as a trade chip to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the Celtics were unable to secure the Greek supernova, they turned their attention to recouping as much value as possible for Brown.
Conventional wisdom suggested that Boston would attempt to find a suitor in the Western Conference, per Jones. However, a thriving market failed to materialize. With the Celtics bereft of options and yearning to send Brown elsewhere, Boston looked closer to home. The Sixers, with their desire to part way with the Clippers' 2028 first-rounder, were too difficult to pass up.
“The process in talking to Boston about Jaylen took a couple of weeks,” said Mike Gansey, Philadelphia's president of basketball operations. “We let them know we were interested and then just kind of went from there. We just kind of stayed in the mix, and the next thing you know, we were at the five-yard line … We just kept banging the drum and expressing interest.”
Ultimately, Brown ended up in the City of Brotherly Love, offering the first major domino to acquire LeBron James. Boston might have not netted the return it first hoped for when its former star wing's name appeared in trade rumors. But with Jayson Tatum leading the line, the Celtics will look to climb up the Eastern Conference standings once more in 2026-27.