NBA All-Star guard Jaylen Brown and Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, dominated the league headlines on Wednesday. Brown, who led the Celtics to the 2024 championship, was traded by Stevens to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, Philly’s 2028 and 2031 first-round picks, and 2028 and 2030 second-round picks.
A day after easily the most shocking trade this offseason, Brown addressed the move on his Twitch channel.
Jaylen Brown Sends Strong Message to Brad Stevens After Surprise Celtics-76ers Trade
Stevens and the Celtics’ front office usually keep their business behind closed doors. There were speculations about conversations between the team’s top executive and the five-time All-Star, but both kept mum until after the trade was announced.
Finally, Brown broke his silence in the stunning trade that continues to reverberate around the NBA.
“Message was received. I wasn’t thrilled with the amount of respect that was showed during this process. I think there was a bit of a lack of respect. I think it was fine at one point, and then out of nowhere, things just kind of went left. I think Brad (Stevens) is probably getting a lot of the criticism. I wasn’t thrilled with the way he facilitated some of that conversations, but I definitely think there’s more to it.
“I just wish that the more to it could have been explained to me, ‘cause if the more to it was explained, I think I would’ve understood. I thought I earned that respect enough to get that explanation,” Brown said.
“Brad [Stevens] is probably getting a lot of the criticism. I wasn’t thrilled with the way he facilitated some of the conversations. I definitely think there’s more to it.”
– Jaylen Brown
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
– Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 3, 2026
Brown’s desire to get more explanation from Stevens is quite understandable. It is the same sentiment echoed by Celtics fans still reeling from the shock of the trade.
The 29-year-old star is coming off a campaign where he finished sixth in MVP voting. He averaged career-highs in points (28.7), assists (5.1), and tied a career-best 6.9 rebounds per game. Brown led the Celtics to a 56-26 record for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum playing just 16 games.
Stevens’ decision netted the Celtics a 36-year-old George, who has played 78 games over the past two seasons. The former All-Star was also suspended for 25 games during the 2025-26 campaign after failing a drug test.
Conflicting reports about the trade have raised more questions. Some NBA observers said that Brown wanted out of Boston, while ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that the 2024 NBA Finals MVP never asked for a change of scenery.
Only Stevens knows the real score, but it remains uncertain if he or the Celtics will hold a press conference to address the trade. Hours after Boston and Philly agreed to the trade, the two-time NBA Executive of the Year winner reportedly deactivated his Instagram account, giving Celtics supporters even more reason to criticize him.
Brown wrote a farewell note on Thursday and talked to his fans on social media about his side of the trade. The NBA world is still waiting for Stevens to speak up and explain his reasoning behind perhaps the most shocking trade in Celtics history.
