The Boston Celtics have bet big on Paul George, and the price tag on that move goes well beyond the draft picks.
Jaylen Brown is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that sends George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to Boston, according to the reporting. On paper, it looks like a splashy haul. In reality, it may be the kind of trade the Celtics end up regretting the moment the season starts and George looks nothing like the superstar Boston seems to think it acquired.
Brown was coming off a 2025-26 season in which he was playing at an MVP level for the Celtics. Moving that version of Brown for an aging George and a bundle of picks is a massive swing, and one Boston may quickly learn was the wrong one.
George has still shown he can give a team useful stretches, and he did that in the playoffs for the 76ers when they erased a 3-1 deficit against the Celtics. But that doesn’t change where he is now in his career. He is no longer the elite two-way force he was years ago, and the drop-off shows up in the numbers.
This past season, George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range. Those are respectable numbers, but they are not the production of an All-Star centerpiece, and they’re only a slight improvement from his first season as a 76er.
The other issue for Boston is the money. George is owed $54.1 million next season and $56.5 million the year after, which is a player option he will likely take. That is a steep commitment for a player the source material describes as little more than a high-end role player at this stage.
For Brad Stevens and Celtics fans, the hard lesson may come fast. Boston gave up Brown for George and picks, and if George opens the season looking like the player he has been recently, the trade will only look worse from there.
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