The second the Shams Charania notification popped up, revealing the Jaylen Brown trade, a clock began. It put the Boston Celtics on a timer with multiple splits.

The first split is almost over. From July 1 to September 28 (Media Day and the start of training camp). The Celtics couldn’t save themselves during that time. Everything was left up to the court of public opinion. And that court certainly did not rule in Boston’s favor.

After the deal went down, the Philadelphia 76ers intensified the discussion by signing LeBron James, a move directly tied to their ability to land Brown. Needless to say, the Celtics have been put through the wringer. And rightfully so.

Boston traded Brown — an NBA Champion, Finals MVP, and fresh off an All-NBA Second Team campaign — for what is widely viewed as one of the worst contracts in basketball, along with two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Meanwhile, LaMelo Ball — a one-time All-Star who has never made the playoffs — landed the Charlotte Hornets Naz Reid, an unprotected future first, and three first-round pick swaps. Walker Kessler went for two first-rounders and two first-round pick swaps, and he was a restricted free agent.

There is no defending the return the Celtics got for Brown. At least, not right now. Not for a while. If we go off only the deal itself and the last few years of NBA action, it’s an objectively brutal trade package.

That’s why the first deadline is Media Day. Because in the few months from the beginning of July to the end of September, there was nothing the Celtics could do about the chatter. A measly Brad Stevens and Bill Chisholm press conference was all fans had to go off of.

But in just a few weeks, the next split of the timer begins. September 28 to October 20. Just three weeks. From Media Day to the Celtics’ Opening Night matchup against the Detroit Pistons.

There won’t be any real basketball. No regular-season games. But it will be significantly more informational than the last few months. Joe Mazzulla will speak to the media almost every day. A new set of players at every availability. Training camp clips. Preseason camps. The works.

If nothing else, we’ll get an actual feel for what this team is all about. The new-look Celtics. The Celtics that everyone believes got worse. And maybe they did. But this will be their first small chance to prove otherwise.

Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley have yet to speak to the Boston media. Mazzulla spoke at Summer League, but even that wasn’t a real reflection of anything other than immediate aftermath damage control.

Early October will offer a window into next season. An opportunity for fans to either buy in or start the season off on the back foot. And most are probably all the way on their heels right now following the summer Boston had.

After that, October 20 to April 11. The length of the 2026-27 NBA regular season. The Jayson Tatum-led, Mazzulla-led Celtics will get their first chance to prove the front office right. Well, their first real chance.

How will Brown-less basketball look? Will the Celtics actually be able to double down on the styles Brown didn’t accentuate? The ball security? The 3-point-heavy style? The creation of turnovers? Will that lead to more success? Or will it all backfire?

The Eastern Conference is much improved. Brown and James have created a stacked 76ers lineup. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a much better situation with one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Kawhi Leonard could still end up on the Toronto Raptors. The Indiana Pacers are healthy. Almost every team in the conference is gunning for the postseason.

Last year, at least 10 teams around the league were tanking. They were playing for a draft pick instead of the playoffs. That’s not the case anymore. Right now, based on the way the summer shook out, only about five teams are going to be heading in that direction. And even so, with the new lottery odds, being the worst of the worst gets punished. So, every team is going to try to win.

Still, the Celtics have been a dominant regular-season team every year under Mazzulla. That doesn’t seem likely to change. Mazzulla and his coaching staff have found an elite regular-season formula that should only be featured more with George and Robinson earning heavy minutes.

But that’s where the third timer split comes in. April 12 to June 20. The first day after the regular season to the potential Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The NBA Playoffs.

That’s where it all fell apart for last year’s Celtics. For the 2024-25 Celtics, too. That’s the hump Boston needs to get back over. The high they’ve been chasing for the past two seasons.

Mazzulla deserves blame for the way the 2026 NBA Playoffs ended for Boston. So does