In one of the more shocking trades in recent history, the Boston Celtics traded star Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick (or swap), an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, and two conditional second-round picks (2028 and 2030).
The initial thought is that the 76ers absolutely fleeced the Celtics, and their fans do not seem pleased. That reaction makes sense, especially since arguably the Celtics’ biggest fan found out about the deal in a devastating way.
Celtics Fan Bill Simmons Wakes Up to Jaylen Brown Trade
Perhaps the most well-known Celtics fan in the world is Bill Simmons. He rose to prominence as ‘The Sports Guy’ in Boston and gained increasing popularity as the city continued to rack up championships.
Simmons said he woke up from anesthesia after having a colonoscopy, and his wife picked him up and told him about the deal. That is how the news reached him.
“I think I’m dead,” Simmons said. “The anesthesia killed me and now I’m a dead person. I’m just trying to process it and it’s like you, know, I have a head injury and I’m like Are there more first round picks?…did they get the Clippers’ first?”
Bill Simmons describes waking up after his colonoscopy:
“I think I’m dead. The anesthesia killed me. Are there more first round picks?…When this trade happened, I had a camera in my ass, and I had Paul George rammed up my ass.”🤣
(h/t @rBillSimmonsPod) pic.twitter.com/qZFyJe3VWM
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 2, 2026
His daughter, who Simmons says is a big fan of Jaylen Brown, read Simmons the full trade, and he stumbled out of the doctor’s office after hearing it.
“When this trade happened at 3:20 PST, I had a camera in my ***, and I had Paul George rammed up my ***,” Simmons explained. “That was happening at the same time and that’s how I’m going to remember July 1, 2026.”
It’s easy to see why Simmons is so upset after hearing that sequence of events.
MORE: Celtics Legend Isaiah Thomas Goes Off About the Negative Discourse Surrounding Jaylen Brown
It does not seem like much of a return for a player of Brown’s caliber and age, especially when you consider that Simmons and his staff at The Ringer recently voted George to have the worst contract in the NBA.
George signed a four-year, $211,584,940 contract with the 76ers, including $211,584,940 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $52,896,235, prior to the 2024-25 season. He will make $57,736,350 next season and has a player option worth $56,586,670 for the 2027-28 season.
Brown and the Celtics agreed to a five-year, $285,393,640 contract before the same season, meaning the acquisition of George will save the Celtics some money and free them of that final year, the 2028-29 season, when George will be a free agent, and Brown will be entering the final year of his deal.
The Celtics felt they had to deal with Brown after failing to strike a deal for Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Brown being the centerpiece of the return for Milwaukee.
The two sides clearly could not reach a resolution that would keep Brown in Boston, so they instead dealt him to one of their biggest rivals.
Brown also said this was his favorite season, despite the Celtics blowing a 3-1 lead and losing in the first round to the 76ers, and Jayson Tatum missing nearly the entire season. Obviously, that didn’t sit well with the Celtics.
It’s possible the Celtics have something else up their sleeve (and Celtics fans pray that they do), but as of now, this seems like a devastating blow for a team that has been a perennial title contender.
