Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics‘ 2026 offseason will forever be defined by Brad Stevens’ decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. The trade has split the fanbase, as the Celtics sent one of their best players to a direct rival.
Sure, it can be argued that Paul George is a better fit within Joe Mazzulla’s system. And yes, the draft capital Boston got in the deal could become highly valuable. However, Boston will now face Brown multiple times per year and will likely need to get past him in the postseason, too.
It’s those reasons that have left Charles Barkley dumbfounded by the move.
“I have been asked 9,755 times why the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to Philly. And 9,752 times, I say I have zero idea why,” Barkley said during a recent episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’ “That was, to me, one of the craziest trades I’ve seen in my 40 years in the NBA. I can’t explain it.”
Barkley continued by explaining that trading Brown to Philadelphia means Boston now has another roadblock in the Eastern Conference.
“OK, the Celtics don’t want Jaylen Brown. I understand it. Clearly they did not want Jaylen Brown. There’s no way in hell you trade him that close to a team you gotta play five times in the regular season. (They’re) probably going to have to beat to get through in the playoffs.”
Celtics Helped Turn Sixers Into a Superteam
To make matters worse, Brown’s addition in Philadelphia likely played a role in LeBron James’ decision to sign with the franchise in free agency. Now, all of a sudden, the Sixers boast a legitimate superteam.
“The Sixers were dead,” Barkley continued. “They were irrelevant — they had an aging Paul George and an aging Joel Embiid for the next two years with Paul, three or four years with Embiid. They were dead in the water, irrelevant. Now all of a sudden, they get Jaylen, they’re back in contention. And then you throw the cherry on the top with LeBron.”
Barkley then said what many Celtics fans have been saying throughout the summer: trading Brown to the Sixers made no sense.
“There’s nothing anybody can say to me that I can go on TV or on your podcast or anywhere in the world and say that trade made sense for the Celtics. That’s just crazy.”
Brown Was Due a Huge Contract Extension
There’s no denying Boston made the move with their future salary cap in mind. Brown, 29, has three years remaining on his current $285 million contract.
Furthermore, Brown was also eligible for a two-year supermax contract extension worth over worth $141 million. That deal would have paid Brown $70+ million at ages 33 and 34.
By trading Brown now and getting back George, who has two years remaining on his current deal, with the final year as a player option, the Celtics have regained control of their financial flexibility.
George’s contract may seem like an albatross right now, but he could be a solid trade chip next season when his deal is expiring.
For now, though, Celtics fans will likely approach the season with caution. After all, they’ll know one of their biggest rivals is arguably the best team in the NBA. What’s worse is they helped make it happen.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor