Philadelphia 76ers president Mike Gansey said the team did not expect to acquire Jaylen Brown when offseason trade talks with the Boston Celtics began, but negotiations accelerated after Philadelphia signed Dean Wade.
Gansey explained that the two franchises kept discussions private while working toward the blockbuster deal that sent Paul George and multiple first-round picks to Boston in exchange for Brown.
“We kept at it. Boston kept calling, we kept calling,” Gansey said. “Credit Brad. We kept this thing quiet. They got Paul. Paul still can really play.”
The trade dramatically reshaped the Eastern Conference landscape, with Brown joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the foundation of Philadelphia’s next championship push. The 76ers finished the 2025-26 regular season 45-37, earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference before defeating Boston in the first round and losing to the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
Brown enters Philadelphia after producing the best scoring season of his career. The 29-year-old averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games during the 2025-26 season while shooting 47.7% from the field, 34.7% from three-point range and 79.5% from the free-throw line.
The production earned Brown his third All-Star selection and helped him finish sixth in MVP voting while being named to the All-NBA Second Team. He also increased his playmaking responsibilities, averaging more than five assists for the first time in his career.
Brown spent 10 seasons with Boston, averaging 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists over 674 career games. He developed from a 6.6-point rookie in 2016-17 into a consistent All-Star-level forward, reaching a career-high 26.6 points per game during the 2022-23 season before becoming one of the Celtics’ primary offensive options.
For Philadelphia, the move changes the roster structure around Embiid and Maxey. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games during the 2025-26 season, earning All-NBA Third Team honors, while Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists despite playing 38 games.
The 76ers also added LeBron James in free agency, creating a roster centered around four high-level scorers in James, Brown, Embiid and Maxey. The front office will rely on chemistry and health after committing significant salary resources to its star core.
Gansey credited both organizations for maintaining confidentiality throughout negotiations. The deal also reunited Brown with a Philadelphia roster built to compete immediately after the team had already added young talent such as VJ Edgecombe, who averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists as a rookie.
The Celtics, meanwhile, received George as the primary veteran return. George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 37 games for Philadelphia during the 2025-26 season before moving to Boston.
The trade marked one of the biggest roster changes of the offseason, with Philadelphia moving from a team built around Embiid and Maxey into a deeper star-driven group featuring multiple All-NBA-level players.
