The news hit like a thunderbolt out of the clear blue sky Wednesday.
Among the flurry of free-agent moves expected on the first full day of NBA free agency, the 76ers did something wholly unexpected. They secured perhaps the biggest movable asset this side of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rare gem that was LeBron James hitting the open market.
They had not only vanquished Boston in a playoff series for the first time since 1982, but they then enticed the Celtics to deal them Jaylen Brown, at what seems on paper like a cut-rate price of Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders.
It’s a massive coup for the new regime of President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson. And it’s perhaps the most consequential move the 76ers have made since acquiring James Harden via trade … which should itself inspire reflexive caution, no matter how roundly praised around the league the Sixers’ inventive gambit is.
The price cannot be beat. With $111 million left on his contract over the next two years, offloading George’s deal would’ve likely cost at least a first-round pick. Getting Brown for a first and two seconds, then, is masterful business.
At the price of four picks, the 76ers swapped a 36-year-old who played 78 games in two seasons in town. He averaged 16.7 points per game, a level of production that only ticked up after a 25-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last year. He was at 16.4 ppg in 11 playoff games and seems unlikely to be a 20-point scorer ever again as he was over nine All-Star and six All-NBA seasons in a Hall of Fame career.
Replace that with a 30-year-old who averaged a career-best 28.7 points per game last year, finishing sixth in MVP voting after his fifth All-Star nod.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, left, drives to the basket against the 76ers’ Paul George during Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoff series on April 21, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
There may be a sense of buyer beware. If you’re wondering why something is this cheap, it’s probably because there’s something wrong with it. Brown was put out by the Celtics reportedly shopping him in their pursuit of Antetokounmpo. How he’ll process this deal remains to be seen, though given his penchant for Twitch streaming, it’s unlikely to stay a secret for long.
Perhaps it’s the superstar pendulum finally swinging in the 76ers’ favor. For all his peccadillos and occasional malcontentedness, Joel Embiid has never demanded out, which puts him – sadly – in the minority among players of his caliber. The Sixers were collateral damage when Jimmy Butler no longer wanted to be here, when Ben Simmons refused to suit up, when Harden publicly broke with former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. The Sixers were not innocent in any of those breakups (Butler in particular), but the changes have disrupted most of the last decade of Embiid’s prime.
Finally, a superstar going supernova works in their favor. Brown isn’t cheap, with three years left on a five-year, $304 million supermax deal. But landing him without having to give up VJ Edgecombe is almost unthinkable.
The criticisms of the 76ers’ front office have long been of competence and effort. On the former, the jury remains out, and Brown will have to prove it in Philadelphia, though there shouldn’t be any worry about an NBA Finals MVP in Boston handling the pressure that comes with Philadelphia.
But the cardinal sin in a drought of a quarter century without reaching a conference final is a lack of ambition to improve the franchise. It’s why so much of the fanbase could overlook the sins of (and perversely cheer) the inglorious Process. It’s why signing Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond and George two summers ago was cheered even if the logic didn’t prevail, and why ducking the luxury tax last deadline while cashing in Jared McCain for assets was so roundly reviled.
That seems like quibbling compared to the move that the 76ers pulled off Wednesday. (And while Morey doesn’t necessarily get retroactive absolution, his deal of McCain to Oklahoma City did get the Sixers back into this year’s first round to pick up a cost-controlled piece in Labaron Philon Jr. and reloaded their draft capital for a move like Wednesday’s.)
Brown is not a slam dunk fit. There is only one basketball, after all. Tyrese Maxey is an on-ball creator, though getting him off the ball as a catch-and-shoot option has been a desirable outcome. Embiid demands the ball and space. He’ll have to be less of a primary focus in games he’s out there, and his ego will have to stomach the understanding that his team can be better even if his numbers are worse than what they’ve been. Brown only marginally solves the question of what the Sixers do when Embiid is inevitably out, and the center spot remains in need of help beyond Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti.
Brown will have to give up some of the ball, too. Edgecombe has the luxury of being almost entirely an off-ball creator. The additions of Philon and Dean Wade seem perfect to complement stars like Maxey, Embiid and now Brown.
The question of Brown’s value remains: His underlying numbers and efficiency profile as less a star than a top-of-the-scale role player. Him taking a step up in production last year with the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics is a positive sign of growth. But it would take an injury disaster for him to get anywhere near that level of usage with Maxey and Embiid around him, so he’ll need to find new ways to be more efficient.
Those complications aside, the 76ers are pushing a lot of chips into the middle of the table. The addition of Brown makes the luxury tax all but unavoidable this year. It points toward a post-Embiid build around Brown, Edgecombe and Maxey.
It’s not enough to elevate the 76ers to favorite status in the East. But from a fringe playoff team, they’re now contenders, a status change that makes for a successful offseason.
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Contact Matthew De George at mdegeorge@delcotimes.com.