Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Monday that the team’s decision to trade Jaylen Brown was driven by a desire to improve roster flexibility and increase future assets, believing the current roster had become more difficult to build around.
Speaking alongside team owner Bill Chisholm, Stevens discussed the blockbuster trade that sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks.
“When I looked at our team and where the league was heading, looked at the way that we’ve finished the last couple years and at the unbelievable way we’ve played in the regular season in the last couple years, the path looked a little bit more challenging to me,” Stevens said.
“I might be wrong. I’m not going to stand up here and be defensive about that, but the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players [Brown and Jayson Tatum].
“The reality in this day and age at the NBA… you have to do a great job of building out depth that can hopefully replace the irreplaceable individual.”
Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP and a five-time All-Star, averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season while taking on a larger role during Jayson Tatum’s recovery from a torn Achilles.
Chisholm rejected the idea that the trade was primarily about saving money.
“No, absolutely not,” Chisholm said. “This was all about basically trying to win. Really trusting in our process. I think we have the best front office in the NBA, and they put in their work and they came to the conclusion this was the best way for us to win.”
Following the trade, Boston also strengthened its frontcourt by signing Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47 million contract and re-signing Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension.
Brad Stevens Explains Reasoning Behind Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Trade https://t.co/mxjm9fg0I3
— RealGM (@RealGM) July 6, 2026
