The reverberations of Jaylen Brown's stunning Celtics exit continue to sound two months on.
The five-time All-Star and former Finals MVP enjoyed a glint run in Beantown. But his relationship with the franchise grew strained towards his final few years, bringing about a shock swap to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Suffice to say, some in Boston's fanbase were less than enthused with dealing Brown — one of the NBA's best players — to a divisional rival. The move proved doubly significant for Philadelphia, who proceeded to land LeBron James a little more than two weeks later. If Brown hadn't been acquired, it's hard to imagine James tying his future down in the City of Brotherly Love.
That wasn't enough to intimidate Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who had his say about the move — and the prospect of aiding in Philadelphia's re-tooling — during George's introductory presser.
Here's what you need to know.
**MORE:** [Paul George Understands Celtics Fans' Frustration Over Jaylen Brown Trade](https://nesn.com/nba/news/celtics-paul-george-understands-frustration-jaylen-brown-trade/36c847a9896bd03b0d4377de)
Brown's acquisition was one of the leading factors that brought James to Philadelphia. When queried on whether the ramifications of that move daunted him, Stevens was adamant that the Celtics were only focused on one thing this season: their team.
"Our focus is on us," Stevens said. "Obviously, we will look forward to any challenges. There's a lot of good teams all around the league. But we have to do what's best, what we think is in the best interest of us, both in the short and long term.”
> Brad Stevens on if he thought about potential impact of trading Jaylen Brown to a divisional rival:
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> “Our focus is on us…You know we will look forward to any challenges…Obviously there's a lot of good teams all around the league…But we have to do what's best, what we think is… [pic.twitter.com/xOoL77N1BP](https://t.co/xOoL77N1BP)