Boston Celtics
“Every fiber of my being wants to give this trade an ‘F.’ It is, by all reasonable logic, an ‘F’ trade.”
Jaylen Brown’s trade to Philly led to plenty of criticism toward Boston. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
July 2, 2026 | 7:49 AM
5 minutes to read
The Celtics shocked their fans and the collective basketball world on Wednesday, with Boston reportedly dealing franchise star Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.
Even though Brown was seemingly mentioned in trade rumors for weeks this summer, Wednesday’s deal still left many around the NBA rattled — especially given the curious return that Brad Stevens secured from the same 76ers team that ended Boston’s season in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Given Brown’s standing as an MVP candidate during the 2025-26 season, coupled with Boston’s so-so return from the Sixers amid Jayson Tatum’s prime years, the Celtics were handed some harsh grades on Wednesday night by multiple media outlets and pundits.
Here’s a look at how the Celtics — and Sixers — fared in several trade grades on Wednesday:
ESPN
Celtics Grade: D+
76ers Grade: A-
ESPN’s Zach Kram didn’t pull any punches with his take on Boston’s decision to move on from Brown.
Despite acknowledging that the Celtics could very well win 50 games in 2025-26 behind a reworked roster led by Tatum, he was surprised that Boston is seemingly willing to risk another year of Tatum’s prime to rework the depth chart.
“Just 10 days ago, the Celtics were trying to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, a win-now superstar who would have raised their playoff ceiling,” Kram wrote. Just earlier on Wednesday, they signed the injury-prone Robinson to a free agent contract, seemingly because he’d boost their performance more in the postseason than over the course of the first 82 games.
“But now they’re pivoting in the other direction. Either the Celtics will quickly package the two first-round picks they received in this deal for a different star, or they’re seemingly content with another year of not going all-in for a title.”
Some of Kram’s criticism was also rooted in the Celtics getting back a former All-Star in George. Even with his impressive resume across the NBA, George hasn’t been the most available option as of late.
“In two seasons in Philadelphia, George played a combined 78 games,” Kram wrote. “He has exceeded 56 games in a season just once since 2018-19, which was so long ago that he hadn’t even joined the Clippers yet.”
“The entire process of this trade, from its impetus to its ultimate execution, is baffling,” Kram added.
CBS
Celtics Grade: D-
76ers Grade: A+
CBS writer Sam Quinn also took the Celtics to task for Wednesday’s trade, due in large part to Boston taking on what he deemed was one of the worst contracts in the NBA in George.
“When I ranked the worst contracts in the NBA in March, George, making supermax money ($54.1 million) for the next two seasons, ranked No. 5,” Quinn wrote. “At the time, that was a fairly common sentiment. He was out at that point due to a 25-game PED suspension, but even before that, he was inefficiently averaging a pretty modest 16.2 points per game and had far less defensive impact than at his peak.
“A good player, but a severely overpaid one whose 36th birthday was looming. The assumption was that Philadelphia would have to attach draft capital to move off of his contract.”
While the infamous Luka Doncic trade between the Mavericks and Lakers is now deemed the gold standard when it comes to lopsided deals in the NBA, Quinn made the case that Wednesday’s deal isn’t far off.
“On paper, the easiest comparison here is the disastrous Luka Dončić trade the Dallas Mavericks made in 2025. The Celtics traded the better and younger player for an older, worse one, with minimal draft capital attached,” Quinn wrote. “Brown is not as valuable as Dončić, but the same six-year age gap applies.
“The Celtics did not get meaningfully cheaper in the deal. They didn’t even steal a Max Christie-esque role player. Every fiber of my being wants to give this trade an ‘F.’ It is, by all reasonable logic, an ‘F’ trade. But the Celtics have been so undeniably competent for so many years that I have to believe there is more to this trade than we currently appreciate.”
The Athletic
Celtics Grade: D+
76ers Grade: A
Zach Harper of The Athletic echoed a similar sentiment as his peers when it came to the flawed logic behind Boston wanting to move on from an All-NBA Second Team Player in Brown, especially for that return.
“The Sixers can legitimately challenge the Knicks in the East now, but they’ll still need to be healthy,” Harper wrote. “Remember, New York just swept them in the second round. Swapping George for Brown changes that dynamic a lot.”
As for Boston? Even with some potential for those future draft picks to yield strong returns, Harper deemed it a “panic move” for Boston.
“The 2028 first-round pick could convert from a pick to a swap if it benefits Boston that way. The 2031 pick is unprotected,” Harper wrote. “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 Tatum within two years, they should have rolled the dice with Brown.”
Sports Illustrated
Celtics Grade: F
76ers Grade: A+
Liam McKeone, Dan Lyons, and Ryan Phillips didn’t relent when it came to giving Boston a sobering “F” grade for Wednesday’s deal.
“It’s baffling that the Celtics settled for this and even more so that they’re in this position in the first place,” the SI writers noted. “They didn’t have to go after Antetokounmpo. They clearly shouldn’t have, if this was going to be the end result. …. Potentially burning a year of Tatum’s prime because Stevens didn’t get the Giannis deal done and had to trade Brown anyway is an absolute disaster for Boston.
“Perhaps the Celtics have pivots planned. But there is no getting around the fact that Boston traded Brown for pennies on the dollar after a career season. … Even the Mavericks got Anthony Davis in the Luka trade. This is nothing less than a catastrophic move, and one Boston only had to make because Stevens tried and failed to land Antetokounmpo. What a mess.”
As for the Sixers, SI believes that Philly could potentially contend in a reshuffled Eastern Conference moving forward — further twisting the knife against a Celtics team that won a title just a few years ago behind the play of Brown and Tatum.
“The Sixers immediately become a title contender with this deal. The fit will need to be figured out, but a perimeter trio of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe and Brown looks elite,” SI wrote. “If Joel Embiid can stay healthy, and that’s a big if, Philadelphia will be in the mix for a title.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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