After ten seasons with the Boston Celtics, the team traded swingman Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. In return, the team received forward Paul George and draft capital. Brown won an NBA championship and earned the Finals MVP trophy.
Along the way, Brown was busy earning five All-Star nods in the process. However, over the last couple of seasons, he became a trade chip in more than one potential deal.
Kendrick Perkins Believes the Boston Celtics Will Rue Jaylen Brown Trade
While George plays at an excellent level, he is also roughly six years older. As a result, both fans and media expressed their opinion. Now, a former Celtics player checks in with his take.
During his decade in Boston, Brown averaged 20 points a game. On top of that, when Jayson Tatum suffered injuries, it was Brown who kept the team in the playoff hunt. Perkins, who won a championship with Boston in 2008, now an ESPN NBA analyst, believes that the Celtics will regret letting go of Brown.
“They’re gonna regret [trading Jaylen Brown] because they did not land Giannis.”
—@KendrickPerkins on the Celtics’ future without Jaylen Brown 😮 pic.twitter.com/iS4h0dTr3l
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 13, 2026
“They’re gonna regret [trading Jaylen Brown] because they did not land Giannis.” Perkins started, referring to the Celtics’ offering Brown in a proposed deal to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, who ultimately traded him to the Miami Heat. Perkins doesn’t see how the deal with the 76ers made sense from a Boston standpoint.
“If you’re going to trade a Top 10 player, one of the better two-way players in this game in Jaylen Brown, you gotta get something back that’s worth it, and they didn’t.” the analyst continued.
Brown, as his stats bear out, can score. However, as Perkins articulated, the swingman also plays strong defense, averaging 1 steal during his Celtics run. Later, the former forward/center placed the blame solely on Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations.
“When you look at Brad Stevens, we could talk about he picked a side, we could talk about the salary cap… it’s about the return and what you got back for him,” Perkins stated.
While trading Brown does open up a level of cap flexibility, by not acquiring equal talent in return, the Celtics did not help themselves on the court. Moreover, he cited another recent trade that could irritate fans regarding the amount a team received in return.
“Utah got more back, in my opinion, for Walker Kessler than the Celtics did for Jaylen Brown,” he concluded, referring to the Utah Jazz’s sign-and-trade of the center to the Los Angeles Lakers for two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.
Brown joins a Philadelphia team with center Joel Embiid and guard Tyrese Maxey. Meanwhile, the Celtics will get to see their former player multiple times per season, suiting up for their division rivals.
