Paul George hasn’t even logged a regular-season game in Boston yet, and he’s already talking like a guy who wants to stay awhile.
After the 76ers traded him for Jaylen Brown earlier this summer, the nine-time NBA All-Star sat down with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe and made it clear that the Celtics have hit a nerve in a way his previous stops never quite did. He said the move has stirred something in him that had gone missing.
“I’m fully immersing myself into this organization with the guys,” Paul George said.
“I’ve been more than happy. I’m ecstatic with being here, being around these guys, like they brought something else out of me that, to be quite frank, has been buried, and that’s just a different passion. There’s a love again for this game, and I just think everything is kind of just aligning at the right time for me here.”
George’s career has taken him through four franchises - the Pacers, the Thunder, the Clippers, and the 76ers - and he arrives in Boston with a résumé that includes averages of 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, along with shooting splits of 44.0% from the field and 38.4% from three.
What makes this stop different, by his own telling, is the setting. Boston is a place that comes with pressure, expectations, and a championship standard he simply hasn’t lived inside before.
The Celtics have won 18 NBA championships, while the teams he played for before Boston had won a combined three before he joined them. All three belonged to the 76ers, since the Thunder only won their championship after he left.
“This locker room, the culture here, the front office, the city, the organization, the tradition, all of that is something that I’ve never been a part of,” George said.
“Where everything is high quality. For me, it’s refreshing.
Hopefully, I can remain healthy. I think I became a journeyman along the way.
At this point, I would love to be able to call Boston home,” Paul George concluded.
That’s a strong statement from a 36-year-old entering his 17th season, especially before he’s even taken the floor in a Celtics uniform. It also comes with contract implications. This is the final guaranteed season of his deal, which carries a $54.1 million salary for 2026-27, plus a player option for 2027-28 at $56.5 million.
George has also acknowledged where he sits in the pecking order, with Jayson Tatum established as the franchise centerpiece. That reality could shape how both sides approach what comes next, especially if the Celtics try to keep him on a shorter, team-friendly extension rather than letting the player option hang over the relationship.
For now, though, George sounds like a veteran who has found a place that fits. Whether that turns into a long-term stay will depend on health, production, and how both sides handle the business end of this new chapter.
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The most encouraging part was how they handled different kinds of pressure across the exhibition slate, whether the shotmaking tilted against them or the opponent rolled out more experienced lineups. Boston found ways to stay organized, defend its approach and keep moving forward with second-string groups on the floor, which is the sort of depth test the regular season tends to expose. [Read more 🡒]