LeBron James and Jaylen Brown ending up together may have felt sudden, but the path to that pairing was sitting there all along.
If the Cleveland Cavaliers had been willing to move Evan Mobley, they could have landed Brown and brought James back home. Instead, they passed, and that choice now looks like a missed chance they’ll have to live with.
Boston also had its own swing at the board. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Celtics checked in with the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline and again on the first night of this year’s NBA Draft, asking for four first-round picks in return for the 2024 Finals MVP.
Joining @malika_andrews for NBA Today on the Warriors re-signing Draymond Green and the franchise's pursuits the last 7 months: pic.twitter.com/dxYYUK49EI
- Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2026
That price was steep enough for Golden State to walk away, and it’s easy to understand why. But the Warriors also passed on a chance to get James and Anthony Davis at a heavily discounted rate. That decision leaves a grim picture of what the end of Stephen Curry’s career could look like.
Instead, James and Brown are now in the City of Brotherly Love. Of the three scenarios mentioned here, including the one that actually happened, all of them involved three of the four finalists for what is arguably the greatest player of all time. In the moment, it was easy to miss how realistic this pairing really was.
For Boston, the road now runs straight through Philadelphia.
Brad Stevens said after the boldest move of his tenure as president of basketball operations that Boston and Philadelphia will meet six times in the 2026-27 season. Two of those are preseason games, and there could also be a Christmas matchup. That holiday spot on the league calendar feels like the obvious stage for Brown to return to TD Garden [excluding a potential cameo in an exhibition contest].
The four regular-season games matter even more. They’ll help sort out the Eastern Conference standings, and they set the table for what comes next.
Because the real collision point is the playoffs. The Celtics have faced the 76ers there four times in the last 10 years.
And this isn’t new territory for Boston. Since the 1950s, the Celtics have met Philadelphia in postseason play in every decade except the 1990s. Jayson Tatum knows that history well, and now he’s in line to cross paths with Brown in a series that could decide a second championship.
Thanks to Boston’s decision, the former homegrown star now has James next to him. That only raises the pressure on the Celtics, and it gives this rivalry a fresh layer of tension.
The stakes are bigger now. The path for Boston got tougher. And the Celtics may have helped set up the very scenario that could lead to the 76ers winning an NBA title for the first time in more than 40 years.
At the same time, it gives Tatum a huge stage. He could beat Brown, stop James from chasing a fifth ring, and put another championship on his own résumé.
James winning a title with a fourth franchise would only strengthen the case for those who already call him the greatest player ever. But the final chapter could just as easily be Tatum and the Celtics shutting that door.
Given the history between these two teams, that kind of showdown feels less like a possibility and more like something waiting to happen.
In Other News...
Celtics Linked To Veteran Scoring Swing That Could Change Everything
A veteran scorer with a long track record of getting buckets is suddenly part of the conversation in Boston after being cut loose in Sacramento, and the fit is easy enough to see. The Celtics have spent plenty of time weighing how to keep their offense steady around the edges, and a player who can create his own shot while also helping others would give them another layer if they decide the price is right.
The catch is the same one that follows almost every big-name addition at this stage of the calendar: money. Boston would have to sort through a cap picture that gets complicated in a hurry, which is why the idea is intriguing but far from simple, especially with other teams in the mix and the kind of competition that can force a front office to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum Just Reopened An Uncomfortable Celtics Debate
Jayson Tatums latest comments about leadership and learning have stirred up an old Celtics conversation that never quite disappears when his name comes up. Speaking at a camp in St. Louis, he talked about the kind of people he wants around him, emphasizing that he prefers being with someone who is still willing to learn rather than acting like they already have all the answers.
For Boston fans, the timing is what makes it linger, especially with the long-running debate over how Tatum and Jaylen Brown fit together behind the scenes as much as they did on the floor. There have been outside voices over the years questioning Browns personality, but whatever the noise, the two spent nine seasons together and still managed to deliver the 2024 title after plenty of heartbreak and playoff frustration, which is why any hint of tension between them still lands with extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Are Asking Payton Pritchard To Solve Their Biggest Problem
With Jaylen Brown gone, the Celtics are entering next season with a familiar kind of roster question: how do they replace a major scorer without turning the whole offense upside down? The early answer appears to be Payton Pritchard, who has long flashed as a compact, efficient shot-maker but has never been asked to carry this much of the load for a full season.
What makes the idea intriguing is that Pritchards best traits have often lived in the margins of Bostons offense. He has been especially effective in isolation and on pull-up jumpers, yet previous seasons never fully tapped into that skill set. Now the Celtics seem ready to lean into it, betting that a bigger role can help smooth over the loss of Brown and keep the attack from losing too much of its punch. [Read more 🡒]