Add The New York Post on Google Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spent Monday afternoon trying to justify trading away Jaylen Brown as Boston fans stewed in anger and confusion over seeing another star depart the organization.
Brown was traded to the rival 76ers in a deal that included the Celtics receiving Paul George and draft picks, which Stevens said helped give Boston “optionality” going forward.
The Celtics executive expressed appreciation for Brown’s contributions to the organization, but outright said that he did not want 70 percent of their salary cap tied up between two players — Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Even with Stevens saying Monday that Brown’s contract made it more difficult to field a competitive roster, the decision to trade the star has still been a shock after he produced an MVP-caliber campaign during the 2025-26 season.
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks during a media availability at The Auerbach Center on July 06, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty Images “We’re not up here to defend ourselves in this decision, which will certainly be scrutinized,” Stevens said. “We’re OK with that. We’re more so trying to deal with the emotions of Jaylen not being here.”
George’s contract is slightly more cap-friendly than Brown’s, with George having a cap hit of $57.7 million this upcoming season and a player option for 2027-28 that has a cap hit of $56.5 million.
Brown has three more years on his deal, with him being owed the same amount this coming season, while making $61.6 million the following season and $65.6 million for the 2028-29 campaign.
“I think when you choose the term ‘optionality,’ you’re talking about just length of contract and assets, so that’s where the increased optionality comes from,” Stevens said when asked directly about the similar salaries. “And listen, we’re going to have to lean on our depth. This is a big part of this.”
Stevens denied that Brown was disgruntled or that the Celtics had been upset with him, and expressed appreciation for his 10 years in Boston, describing the former Celtics star as “a meaningful person in all of our lives.”
“We all appreciate Jaylen. We’ve all enjoyed having Jaylen as a teammate. I think he’s got great relationships from here,” Stevens said.
Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) during the first half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, April 21, 2026. AP Photo/Charles Krupa Celtics owner Bill Chisholm also addressed the growing feeling that there has been some mandate from ownership to bring down the team’s roster salary.
Since the Celtics’ title run in 2024, Boston has seen Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, among others, depart the franchise. Chisholm pushed back on that, saying all decisions were basketball ones.
“It’s not about the money at all. This was trying to put together the right set of players and assets to win,” he said. “That’s what this was about. … None of these were about money. We have some more room now, like if we see something we wanted, Brad’s got the green light to do that.”
