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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Boston Celtics finally made the move everyone was waiting for, trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that brought back Paul George, much to the chagrin of analysts and the team's fans.
It had been a weeks-long saga involving all sorts of speculation, with the heaviest initially focused on Boston attempting to land Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. Once the Greek Freak went to the Miami Heat in a trade, it meant the Celtics had to pivot.
There had been mention of "eight to 10 teams" that Boston was discussing trading Brown to, and on Wednesday afternoon, the news hit that they'd made a deal with the 76ers, sending Brown to the team that he and the Celtics lost to in Game 7 of the first round of this past season's NBA Playoffs.
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The deal drew plenty of backlash against the Celtics, as fans sounded off on a social media post meant to celebrate their rookie draft picks: Houston's Chris Cenac Jr. and St. John's player Dillon Mitchell.
More news: Celtics Sign Veteran Guard to Roster Amid Jaylen Brown Trade Buzz
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"A Jaylen Brown AUCTION??? You will not survive this BUM STEVENS!!! You're about to find out...We fire IDIOTS in Boston!!!" one frustrated X commenter replied.
"Yea I wouldn’t post anything about the worst trade in NBA history either. What a [expletive] joke. Laughing stock of the league" another commenter wrote.
"Who gives a [expletive] about the rookies. You just made a huge mistake trading Brown. Gonna be hard for me to stay a Celtics fan now…," a commenter said.
A commenter wrote, "Nobody taking celtics serious this fall, Pritchard and white better be looking for a home."
In addition to landing George in Wednesday's reported trade, the Celtics receive the 76ers' first-round picks in 2028 and 2031 and their second-round selections in 2028 and 2030. However, most believe this was a serious misfire by Boston, while Philadelphia got the much better side of things.
While rumors and reports suggested that Brown did not request a trade out of Boston, the situation became more complicated when it was clear they were trying to trade him for Antetokounmpo. Once that didn't happen, more rumors emerged, including attempts to make a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Celtics will now potentially feature a starting lineup that has Jayson Tatum alongside Paul George, as well as their other recent acquisition, big man Mitchell Robinson, who was a key part of this past season's New York Knicks' championship run.
However, Philadelphia adds Brown to a lineup that also includes emerging young star VJ Edgecombe and All-Stars Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. The team has been mentioned among contenders for many seasons, but has never had enough to reach the NBA Finals.
It remains to be seen whether the answer to getting there is Brown, but they definitely got a star player motivated to show he can lead another team to greatness.
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