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We have yet another stunner in a busy NBA offseason, as Jaylen Brown is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics traded the 29-year-old All-NBA forward to their rivals for Paul George, two future first-round picks and two future second-round picks.
Follow along for the latest reaction, news and analysis from this deal and all the others this summer.
Marvin Bagley is Denver's latest hope to avoid getting run off the floor in the non-Nikola Jokić minutes. He at least offers a different dimension with his speed and ability to attack the rim, coming off a solid season in Washington and Dallas.
He's the only signing thus far of the Nuggets' offseason, but we're still waiting to see what subtractions Denver might make in order to be able to afford to keep restricted free agent Peyton Watson. First up: Big man Jonas Valančiūnas, whose $10 million deal guarantees on July 8 but can be vaporized into a $666,667 cap hit over the next three years by stretching his $2 million guarantee.
Bagley presumably takes over his role behind Jokic. At the moment, Denver is $8.8 million from the second apron with 11 players, assuming rookie-minimum deals for second-rounders Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins.
Sooooo …. the Celtics have three shots at winning the 2028 lottery (their own pick, the Clippers pick, and the Sixers pick), but may only have one first-round pick in 2028. The 2028 pick from Philly to Boston in the Jaylen Brown trade is the first one that use the "new" lottery from 1-16 as the basis for pick protection. It gets complicated, but: The pick going to Boston is the better of the Clippers' or Philly's — except that Philly's goes to Brooklyn if it lands 9-30, so most likely it's just the Clippers pick. However … should the pick going to Boston land 1-16, then it is not owed outright but rather is a "swap" with Boston's 2028 pick (which is already swapped to San Antonio, top-1 protected, and thus likely to be in the 20s).
With Kawhi Leonard now on the team, the Toronto Raptors are legitimate contenders. Yup, seriously.
Here's my breakdown of the Raptors' big new/old addition.
Everything was at stake for the Los Angeles Lakers, but as free agency started Monday, the organization seemed stuck in neutral — if not moving backward in reverse.
In no way would the Lakers be more talented in 2026, not when LeBron James and his representatives informed Los Angeles’ front office and the rest of the league he would be playing a 24th season for, essentially, anyone but the team he just spent eight seasons with. They weren’t going to be more physical on the perimeter, where Marcus Smart was always willing to punch first because “the toughest team sets the rules,” as he frequently said.
The Lakers weren’t going to have the same kind of “if he shoots it, it’s going in” threat from 3 after Luke Kennard signed with the Phoenix Suns.
I’m not in Boston’s building every day. I don’t know who said what to whom or how much bass was in their voice when they said it. It’s easy for anyone to sit outside and say, “Hey, just get together and hash it out.” No one really knows what couples are like when it’s just the two of them in a room together.
That goes triple for NBA players and their teams, because your partner likely isn’t pulling down eight figures annually. Jaylen Brown could have said, “Get me the (bleep) out of here.” Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, could have said, “I’ve got to get him out of here.”
The Celtics also have a new governor in Bill Chisholm. He didn’t draft Brown. He wasn’t there for all the years of development and painful playoff losses. And he wasn’t in charge when Brown won NBA Finals MVP in 2024. I’m guessing that made moving on from Brown a much easier sell for Stevens than it might have been had Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca still been in charge.
Speaking to people around the league, I still have not found someone who thinks this Jaylen Brown trade makes sense, especially with the reporting that Brown did not ask out.
It is just such a disappointing return for a star in their prime, even if both picks turn out to be well positioned. To the Celtics’ credit, people often overrate the quantity of picks over the quality and these picks could both be fairly high. But this still feels well below the bar the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade just set. The best theory is that they have another move lined up around the corner that utilizes all these assets. For an organization with a good track record of player-relationship management and extracting strong value out of trades, this is a letdown, barring a follow-up move.
I think Tobias Harris is perfect for the Spurs. Another grown-up veteran in the room who can actually play. He fills that four spot in a major way and can create in that mid-post area in a pinch. He gives them some size too.
Very, very good fit.
Bro. Luka Dončić got traded at midnight on a random Saturday in February. This doesn’t even crack the top 50.
The 76ers have expressed interest in acquiring LeBron James, a league source tells me.
Philadelphia makes sense from a basketball perspective. But what about other factors?
Read my story below.
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Philadelphia 76ers among teams expressing interest in LeBron James: Source
Tim Hardaway Jr. is heading back to Miami — the city where his father cemented his NBA legacy — after reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Heat.
The move brings the younger Hardaway to the franchise where Tim Hardaway Sr. became one of its most iconic players. But while Hardaway Jr. will wear a Heat uniform, he won’t wear the No. 10 jersey hanging above Pat Riley Court at Kaseya Center.
That number belongs to his father, and it is staying retired.
Which of the following teams do you have the least faith in at this moment: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Indiana, Toronto, Cleveland, Miami and Detroit?
David Aldridge: Well, Indiana. I suspect that while Tyrese Haliburton will, at some point next season, be close to his normal self again, I don’t think that’ll be on opening night. Can the Pacers play at their same suffocating pace with Ivica Zubac in the middle instead of Myles Turner? I think it’s going to take a while for them to jell, and it may take more than one season.
Tony Jones: I almost said Boston, but I’m wondering what Detroit can do to improve. I believe the Pistons will keep Jalen Duren, but adding someone to help Cade Cunningham score and facilitate would be ideal.
Eric Koreen: Don’t take this to mean I believe they will finish eighth among the teams listed, but the Cavaliers did nothing to make me believe they are a serious team in the playoffs. They’ve largely run it back in the offseason, save for losing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis. Until they sign LeBron James or make another alteration, I will not trust them.
Jason Quick: Detroit. If the Pistons lose Duren, I think they lose a lot of their soul, especially with Tobias Harris also gone.
Read the rest of our Jaylen Brown trade roundtable here.
In addition to adding a layer to the Sixers-Celtics rivalry, the Jaylen Brown trade also adds intrigue around a partnership between Brown and Joel Embiid.
Two months ago, they were in the middle of TD Garden jawing at one another during a terrific Game 7 of a first-round series. They have never been the best of friends. At times, their relationship has been downright frosty. But they both have a chance at winning a championship on their terms. And that means a lot.
How those two mesh may go a long way in determining how the trade is remembered. Brown and Embiid will have to jell. Philadelphia’s championship ceiling depends on it.
"Flopping has ruined our league. Joel Embiid is one of the greatest players that has played basketball, but he flops. He knows it too"
-Jaylen Brown right now on stream
(Via @rileysbetter) pic.twitter.com/fsZJQPCAco
I’m sure it feels like the sky is falling for Boston Celtics fans, but I do just want to at least note that I think that team is still a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference as long as Jayson Tatum is back to 90 percent or more of his normal value.
Tatum is a better player than Jaylen Brown, and the team still has the bones of the team that just won 56 games this past season with Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser and the younger recent draft picks. On top of that, the Celtics bring in Paul George for hopefully more than the 16 games Tatum played last season as the No. 2 option next to Brown just nine months removed from his Achilles tear, and also have signed Mitchell Robinson to give them 48 minutes of excellent center depth. There’s a very good shot this team wins 50 games yet again, if healthy.
It’s easy to now put Philly ahead of Boston, but I’d hold off on that. For one, the Sixers still need Joel Embiid to be healthy for most of a regular season, and then for the postseason. That’s rarely a good bet. (The same goes for Toronto and Kawhi Leonard.) For two, the Celtics could still have something else up their sleeves.
But, this moment? In early July? New York, Philly, Boston and Cleveland are my top four East teams, and the Cavs could move up higher if there’s a certain reunion in the offing.)
I had the good fortune to cover some real gems in my 22 years on the Timberwolves beat. Mike Conley is right near the top. I learned something about the game from him with every conversation. He was as gracious with his time as anyone. I understood the team better than ever thanks to him.
The craziness does not stop.
On Tuesday, we found out LeBron James was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and Kawhi Leonard was going back to the future with the Toronto Raptors. On Wednesday, the first full day of NBA free agency, we got something that might have been even more shocking: The Boston Celtics are trading Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, for Paul George and two first-round picks, along with more draft capital.
After all the talk of the Celtics holding out for a huge package of players and picks, the smaller return was staggering.
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun broke out the old LeBron James “Silencer” celebration.
Was the Brooklyn native trying to recruit King James to the Net … sorry, Knicks?
Anyway, if you're interested, follow our live blog for that game here.
LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸 https://t.co/8wb2t2F6oq
The Philadelphia 76ers have expressed interest in acquiring free agent forward LeBron James, a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations told The Athletic.
On the heels of Wednesday night’s blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown — which sent Paul George and multiple draft picks to the Boston Celtics — the Sixers have thrown their hat into the proverbial ring for the star forward, who became an unrestricted free agent after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Philadelphia makes sense from a basketball perspective. The 76ers have enough scoring, depth and ballhandling at the top of the roster to allow James to ease into a role. And with James — or even without him — Philadelphia projects as a championship contender. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are also considered among the frontrunners for James’ services.
The Jaylen Brown trade feels like a panic move for Boston.
The Celtics know the inner workings and dynamics of this situation far better than anybody outside the organization. However, Brown is signed for the next three years, and you could have eased his feelings a lot with a contract extension. It’s hard to believe that wouldn’t have eased the tension when you also remind him that you won a championship together just a couple of years ago.
The Celtics’ decision to go with Paul George instead of Brown is a massive downgrade. He has a much more alarming injury history, and he’s simply not as good.
The 2028 first-round pick could convert from a pick to a swap if it benefits Boston that way. The 2031 pick is unprotected. Is that enough to make it worth it to downgrade from Brown to George? The Utah Jazz got more for Walker Kessler than the Celtics are probably getting for an All-NBA 29-year-old in good health.
Unless those picks really hit or they acquire some major help for Jayson Tatum within two years, they should have rolled the dice with Brown.
Read more here.
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