The Boston Celtics may not be shopping Paul George right now, but the trade market for him could still be stronger than you’d think.
That’s the word from one NBA executive, who told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that George still carries “value” - especially because he’s on a short-term deal. The executive went a step further, saying Boston could land a first-round pick for him if the conditions are right.
"Boston was never looking at him as replacing Jaylen Brown. They were never looking to just trade him as soon as they could," the executive said about George.
"But they were looking at him as, ‘OK, what can he do that is going to help us win?’ And that’s it.
If he is healthy, he can still do things most guys can’t. Could they get a protected first-rounder, something like that for him?
Yeah, probably, if he is healthy. But they’ve never given off the impression they’re going to dump him."
George’s contract is the part that makes any deal complicated. He has two years left, with $54.1 million due in 2026-27 and a player option worth $56.6 million for 2027-28.
Still, the production is there. Last season, George put up 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game while hitting 39.2 percent of his 3-pointers on 6.9 attempts a night. In Philadelphia’s first-round win over Boston, he followed that by averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting 55.0 percent from deep.
The issue, as always, is health. George played in 41 games in 2024-25 and 37 games in 2025-26.
So if he stays on the floor and keeps producing, Boston could be staring at a real fork in the road: keep him and chase wins now, or move him while the return still makes sense.
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