Jaylen Brown was somewhat shockingly traded to the Philadelphia 76ers last week in exchange for picks and Paul George. The former No. 3 overall pick by the Celtics in 2016 was named NBA Finals MVP as recently as 2024.
The trade was a surprise, but recent reports make it clear Brown and the team were not headed for a happy summer.
NBA Insider Highlights Tension Between Jaylen Brown, Celtics
The new NBA collective bargaining agreement makes it difficult for teams to carry multiple max contract players, especially as top contracts approach $1 million per game.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania appeared with Stephen A. Smith on his SiriusXM show and discussed how the Celtics and Brown were headed for potential disaster.
“Late July (of this year), they had a decision to offer Jaylen Brown a 2-year, $145M max extension.” Charania said. “Before it got to that point where if that time came and they didn’t offer him the extension this could have gotten even uglier between these two sides.”
Shams:
“Late July (of this year), they had a decision to offer Jaylen Brown a 2 year/$145M max extension. Before it got to that point where if that time came and they didn’t offer him the extension this could have gotten even uglier between these two sides” pic.twitter.com/SdKxCVuylh
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) July 8, 2026
$145 million over two years comes out to $72.5 million annually. He still has three years remaining on his current deal, so tacking on two years at that steep cost was likely no longer feasible for the Celtics.
Paying both Brown and Jayson Tatum at that rate becomes unrealistic under the new NBA financial rules.
Charania went on to say the Celtics were never planning to give Brown that extension, meaning a potential trade demand or even a holdout could have been on the table if he was not sent to the 76ers or elsewhere.
The Celtics are now moving forward with Tatum cemented as the star. Meanwhile, Brown joins a 76ers team that may be a dark-horse favorite to land LeBron James.
“When the Sixers got Jaylen Brown, I did some research, and he (LeBron) is taking their pitch really seriously. When I talk to teams now, I have a hierarchy of Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, and then some teams on the periphery,” Charania reported.
Brown is a very vocal player and has already gone live on streaming to discuss the shock of the trade. His outspokenness has also been highlighted as a potential problem the Celtics wanted to move on from.
The focus will now be heavily on Celtics executive Brad Stevens, as fans wonder whether he made the right move or if it will ultimately backfire.
