Critics who want to hammer the Celtics for taking on Paul George’s huge contract are missing what Boston was actually trying to do.
The Jaylen Brown trade was never just about swapping one star for another. It was about breaking up a salary structure that had become impossible to keep together, and the Celtics have been clear about that.
Their explanation centers on Brown’s deal, the reality of having two players eat up 70% of the cap, and the need for flexibility down the line. The easy pushback is to note that George is expensive too.
Over the next two years, Brown will make $57.7 million, $61.7 million, and $64.6 million, while George will make $54.1 million before a player option for $56.6 million.
But that comparison only tells part of the story.
Boston was never going to clean up Brown’s money in one swipe. There isn’t a $50+ million trade exception sitting around to absorb that contract, so the Celtics had to bring back a big salary just to make the math work.
George was the player they preferred. He comes in a little cheaper each season, and his deal ends at least a year earlier.
That matters. It’s the first move, not the whole plan.
The Celtics have already shown this kind of approach on a smaller scale. Last season, they were dealing with Jrue Holiday’s 4-year, $135 million extension and needed to get under the tax.
First came the deal that sent Holiday’s cap hit to Portland for Anfernee Simons, who made $27.7 million. Then, at the trade deadline, Boston moved Simons again for Nikola Vucevic and his $21.5 million salary.
Those two steps trimmed more than $10 million, and a few months later Vucevic’s contract was gone entirely.
Brown’s contract is obviously a bigger mountain, and Brown is a better and more important player than Holiday was. Still, the blueprint is the same.
Boston shaved off a few million right away, which makes it much easier to stay under the luxury tax again. If the Celtics want to keep adjusting, they can also move George later with picks and break that money down another time.
There are plenty of possible paths from here. Trey Murphy III, who is set to make $27 million in 2026-27, and Dejounte Murray at $32.8 million are the kind of names that could fit into that framework. There’s also the possibility that George settles in, fits well in Boston, and convinces the Celtics to let him decline his player option next summer so they can work out a longer, cheaper deal.
If Boston chooses to wait, George could also become a $50+ million expiring next summer, which would open the door to almost any player or combination of players in the league. And if he simply plays out the final two years and walks, that still gives the Celtics a much quicker way out than they would have had with Brown.
That’s the key point. Brown was headed toward a two-year, $170+ million extension that would have pushed his total over $320 million for the next five seasons.
The Celtics may love him, and there’s no doubt he deserves every dollar he can get. But in today’s NBA, that kind of money for a team’s second-best player is not a survivable setup if the goal is to win a title.
Boston understood that, decided to cut bait, and started to recoup value. The George trade was only the first step.
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