The Boston Celtics’ much-maligned decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and picks has gotten unexpected support over the past few days. Called a “highway robbery” by some rival GMs, some are saying that the Celtics have surprisingly become the winners of the controversial trade.
An NBA podcaster joined the few who see Boston becoming the better team in the shocking deal.
NBA Podcaster Makes the Case for Paul George Over Jaylen Brown
On Wednesday, the Celtics and the 76ers agreed to make a trade that continues to dominate NBA headlines. Boston sent an All-NBA guard to Philadelphia for George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031), and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030).
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said in his podcast recently that the Brown-George trade “isn’t an even swap.”
Later, former NBA player Danny Green added that the Celtics “took two steps back.”
While most in the NBA world predicted gloom and doom for the Celtics, an NBA analyst pushed back on those projections.
“Paul George is not better than Jaylen Brown. … But for what it takes for them to win regular season games, he (George) does the two things that they (Celtics) want their players to do better than Jaylen Brown does: Shoot 3s and not turn the ball over. He does those things better than Jaylen Brown. It’s very obvious that their team is not gonna fall off a cliff like people are projecting,” NBA podcaster Marz said on “The Players Choice.”
Paul George is NOT better than Jaylen Brown, but he does do these things better than Jaylen Brown… @splashsports pic.twitter.com/C6a35Wog2j
— Players Choice (@PlayersChoice_) July 6, 2026
The podcaster seems to be half right, given the two stars’ 3-point shooting and turnover career numbers.
In 16 NBA seasons, “PG-13” is shooting 38.4% from that distance. Since the 2019-20 season, George has made 39.2% of his 3-pointers.
On the other hand, Brown has not been as efficient. He is a career 35.8% shooter from behind the arc. In his decade-long stay with the Celtics, he has not hit over 40%, while George has done it five times.
George has been the better shooter from long distance, but Brown has the edge over him in turnovers. The former Los Angeles Clippers star is averaging 2.6 errors per game in his career compared to Brown’s 2.3.
When Kawhi Leonard sat out the 2021-22 season due to nagging knee injuries, his co-star, George, became the No. 1 option. As the Clippers’ go-to guy, George averaged 4.1 tpg.
Meanwhile, when Brown took over Jayson Tatum as the Celtics’ main man, JB averaged 3.6 tpg, the worst of his career.
Based on those numbers, it’s more like an even split rather than a definitive win for one team.
Philadelphia traded an oft-injured veteran for an all-NBA talent who could help them end a 43-year championship drought.
The 76ers gave up two potentially prime first-round picks for a chance to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. If they do that, this trade will go down as one of the biggest in league history.
However, the Celtics could still pull off a few surprises with George rather than Brown on the roster. Boston is also relying on roster and salary cap flexibility down the road to turn this shocking trade into a potential win.
