RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesCeltics' Jaylen Brown Trade Nearly Happened Months Earlier to Warriors originally appeared on NESN .
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The Boston Celtics apparently thought about trading Jaylen Brown at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, in the middle of the season.
That didn't happen, of course, and after a career year he was dealt on July 1 to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft picks.
Those earlier talks didn't involve the 76ers, though -- they were with the Golden State Warriors.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Monday that the Celtics and Warriors discussed a Brown trade at the midway point of the season.
On the Stephen A. Smith Show , this is what Charania explained:
“The Warriors could've got in the Jaylen Brown sweepstakes if they wanted to give up four first round picks-ish, in that range. They decided not to, from my understanding. Those two teams, the Warriors and Celtics, did talk about a Jaylen Brown trade around the trade deadline, and it was around several first-round draft picks, potential swaps, and seconds. The Warriors decided not to go down that route and so that's on them. That's the decision they made."
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A deal bringing four first-rounders to the Celtics for Brown probably would've felt like a haul.
It also would've been a total surprise to have that go down in the middle of the season before Jayson Tatum had even returned from his torn Achilles injury.
Charania's Brown report was in part about the idea that if the Warriors had Brown, they probably would've had a better chance of landing LeBron James in free agency this offseason.
But from a Celtics perspective, it really paints the picture that Brown had been on the outs for a while. If Boston was considering dealing him smack dab in the middle of his career-best season, it likely shouldn't have been as much of a surprise as it was that he finally got traded now.
The 76ers remain a surprising destination, and the return package centered around George is interesting, but Boston clearly was ready to move on.
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