Category: NBA

While the Lakers have addressed their strongest need by reportedly trading for Walker Kessler, they still have gaps to fill in their roster.

Specifically, at the wing position. As currently constructed, the team lacks wings and needs more perimeter defense. Many players are already off the board, but there are still some quality wings on the market.

In a Wednesday night report, Dan Woike of The Athletic mentioned Jonathan Kuminga as a player the Lakers could acquire this offseason.

The team, according to league sources who were granted anonymity to freely discuss the Lakers’ offseason moves, is still seeking a young wing to help its perimeter defense. A high-upside swing receiving significant consideration, per league sources, is former Golden State Warrior and Atlanta Hawk Jonathan Kuminga, whose $24.3 million team option was recently declined by Atlanta.

The Lakers reportedly called the Warriors about Kuminga last offseason, so it’s no surprise they are still interested in his talent. Kuminga is an example of how quickly free agency can change.

The Hawks declining his team option was a surprise, and it doesn’t appear that Atlanta wants to agree to a smaller deal. So, he’s now one of the most intriguing unrestricted free agents.

Kuminga is a player with a ton of potential. So far, it hasn’t materialized into him becoming the best version of himself. His saga with the Warriors was exhausting, and when he got his fresh start in Atlanta, they clearly didn’t see enough to want to retain him.

Still, he’s a young wing and in need of some redemption. If he comes to the Lakers and has a breakout season, it could alter the trajectory of his career.

Besides his respectable defense, Kuminga is an all-around solid player. Last year, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. That level of production is hard to find in unrestricted free agency.

As usual, this will come down to money.

The Lakers have reportedly spent a ton by trading for Kessler and adding Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili. However, if they can agree on terms, Kuminga would be a great pickup.

The Lakers need exactly what he can provide, and playing well here could lead to a bigger payday in the future. Malik Monk and Dorian Finney-Smith followed this path to success, and Kuminga could do the same if he so chooses.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

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The Boston Celtics trading former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers dramatically impacted NBA Finals odds at sportsbooks and NBA prediction market prices.

Key Takeaways

• The 76ers are fifth in odds to win the NBA Finals at BetMGM.
  
  
• Kalshi and Polymarket bumped the 76ers from 1% chance of winning the title to as high as 6%.
  
  
• Reports suggest Brown wore out his welcome in Boston.

Brown, who spent his first 10 years in Boston was traded for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-rounders Wednesday.

BetMGM shared with Covers that the 76ers were only +6,600 (1.5% implied chance) to win the Finals before the trade. They vaulted to +2,000 (4.8% chance), which is fifth on the board.

BetMGM also noted 35% of bets and 40% of money wagered in the NBA Finals futures market -  both highest amounts - were on the 76ers. That represented roughly a 13-hour period from approximately 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday through 7 a.m. on Thursday.

.@sixers odds to win NBA Championship at @BetMGM

Before Jaylen Brown trade: +6600

After: +2000 ⬆️

40% of money (most) is on 76ers to win the NBA title since the trade pic.twitter.com/IKcen9N6MP

— BetMGM News (@BetMGMNews) July 2, 2026

A similar trend emerged in the Eastern Conference futures market. The Sixers moved from +2,000 (4.8% chance) to win the conference pre-trade to +700 (12.5% chance), drawing 54% of bets and 68% of the handle during the period after the trade was reported.

The Celtics did not enjoy the same surge in NBA championship odds. They fell from +700 (12.5% chance), the third-shortest amount and shortest in the East to +1,400 (6.7% chance). They also lengthened from +260 (27.8% chance) to +450 (18.2% chance) to win the conference.

The Sixers now have the second-largest share of tickets to win the title (8.8%), only behind the Golden State Warriors (15.7%). They’re also third in handle (9.4%), trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder (32%) and Warriors (12.5%).

Prediction markets adjust to trade

Just like sportsbooks, NBA prediction markets underwent significant changes after the Brown trade was reported.

Market data from Polymarket shows the Sixers jumped from 1.1% to 5.7% by Thursday morning, peaking as high as 6%. The Celtics dropped from 8% to 6%. 

The Thunder (21%) and San Antonio Spurs (17%) are the obvious market leaders, followed by the defending champion New York Knicks (11%). The Celtics are still fourth, although the Sixers and Miami Heat (5.8%) are just behind.

Kalshi’s markets went through a similar adjustment. The Sixers went from 1% to 6% by 8 a.m. on Thursday, although they dropped back down to 4% during the two ensuing hours.

Kalshi also dropped the Celtics from 10% to 7%, which, like Polymarket, is fourth on the board.

The 2027 Finals are still about a year away, but Kalshi and Polymarket already reported approximately $10.5 million in total combined trades in their next champion markets.

Rivalry renewed

The Brown trade will add another chapter to the Celtics-76ers rivalry. The two teams will meet the customary four times during the regular season.

The 76ers recovered from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs last year. Brown went on a livestream the following day and said Sixers star center Joel Embiid was a flopper.

"Flopping has ruined our game."

Now Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid are teammates 👀

(via fchwpo/Twitch) pic.twitter.com/ctIl1dmzwJ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2026

Sources told The Herd's Colin Cowherd that Brown has a “disease” which made him think he was always the smartest in the room, leading to strained relationships in Boston.

NBA sources believe Jaylen Brown thinks he’s the smartest person in the room, per @colincowherd

“I had two NBA sources … two people in the league, one an executive, one a scout, say that Jaylen Brown has — it’s a disease. He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room… pic.twitter.com/aBhgNSfXiF

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2026

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Knicks might be doing anything to bring in external players through free agency, but that’s reasonable considering how busy they are in filling out their Summer League roster.

New York announced its roster on Thursday morning, but I had already written this post and it’s going nowhere. So instead of revealing two signings, let’s consider this a meetup.

Today’s Casa Knicks entries are North Dakota forward Treysen Eaglestaff, who is joining after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Westchester product Toby Okani is also expected to play with the SL squad in Las Vegas, giving the organization another long wing with pro experience.

Eaglestaff is a 6-foot-6 wing from Bismarck. He made his name in his hometown of North Dakota, where he spent three seasons and averaged 18.9 points as a junior, earned second-team All-Summit League honors, scored 40 points against Alabama, and dropped a Division I season-high 51 points.

He transferred to West Virginia for his final college season, starting 35 games and averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 39.7% from the field and 34.3% from three. That dip in production helps explain why he went undrafted, but his size remains there, while he has good enough shooting mechanics and scoring touch as to earn a July look from the Knicks and perhaps land a minors deal from New York or another organization.

Okani (not to be confused with Ohtani) is a more familiar name. A 6-foot-8 wing from West Orange, New Jersey, he spent time with the Westchester Knicks last season (34 games, 12 as a starter) before earning a late call-up with the Memphis Grizzlies. In the G League, he averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes, shooting 35.9% from the floor and 27.9% from beyond the arc. The free-throw shooting was even worse, with Okani bagging freebies at a 47.6% clip.

In the NBA, Memphis gave Okani six games, including four starts, and he averaged 10.0 points and 3.5 rebounds playing (somehow) 36.2 MPG. Before turning pro, Okani played at Duquesne, UIC, and West Virginia. His best college season came at UIC, where he averaged 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks, earned MVC All-Defensive Team honors, and led the conference in blocks back in 2024.

The Knicks open Summer League play July 10 against the Brooklyn Nets, then face the Spurs, Pistons, and Warriors.

Welcome to the club, Treysen and Toby!

You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.

While paydays are aplenty in free agency, the fluidity of it all can leave some on the outside looking in.

Despite the Lakers being swept out of the playoffs, Rui Hachimura came away a big winner after his postseason performance. Most predicted he would receive one of those paydays once the offseason rolled around as a result.

However, as we discussed on Wednesday, LA’s flurry of moves left him as the odd man out, as some had predicted. At the time, the Spurs were still a contender for him. However, San Antonio soon chose Tobias Harris on a two-year deal over Rui.

Now, Rui is still without a new contract and the teams that can and would have interest in him have dwindled significantly. The result, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on Thursday, is people around the NBA wondering if he may be returning to Los Angeles after all.

That Hachimura remains unsigned caused several league sources to wonder whether the Lakers are planning some sort of trade or using the stretch provision on perhaps Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to be able to offer Hachimura more.

There are two reasons why this is still unlikely.

First, the Lakers would still need to do some reshuffling of the roster to shed one or both of Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton’s salaries. That could come via an unlikely trade or by waiving and stretching one of them, with Vando being the far more likelier option.

Even if they are able to open up cap, there aren’t any realistic scenarios in which Rui signs a deal close to his value or the deal he was just on. Perhaps there’s an avenue where the Lakers sign him to a short-term deal with the premise of paying him more money in the future, but the end result of him being underpaid in year one remains the same.

For Rui to get to that point, the market would have to completely dry up on him, which is already close to happening, and he’d have to value being in LA with teammates and a staff he already has a report with as opposed to starting anew.

I won’t pretend to know Rui’s thinking in that aspect, but it does feel like things are still many steps away from that end point. A surprise trade or a new team being interested could change things quickly and Rui could sign a new deal elsewhere, still.

But after seeming like a done deal that he was gone on Wednesday, it looks like the door may still be cracked open.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Count Bill Simmons among the Boston Celtics fans who were stunned by how the little the team got when they traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. But what Simmons was going through at the moment the transaction went down made for a one-of-a-kind reaction.

Simmons, a longtime Boston sports supporter, gave his first thoughts on the move during a live recording of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" on Thursday, July 2, and revealed that he found out Brown had been traded from his wife after finishing a colonoscopy at a medical facility around 3:20 p.m. PT. She then told Simmons the details, which featured the Celtics receiving Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks from the Sixers.

"I'm not really coherent ... and I'm like, I think I'm dead. I think I died," Simmons said on the broadcast. "The anesthesia killed me and now I'm a dead person."

This is one of those moments in your fandom you might remember forever — where you were when you found out the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Jaylen Brown.

For me, I was on my couch, taking a few bites of the dinner I had just made and settling in. Then, a notification on my phone from X popped up. The Sixers had traded Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks for Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.

My first reaction? “No f*cking way.” I actually said it out loud, to my phone screen, alone in my living room.

And I meant it with all sincerity. I double-checked to make sure it was actually ESPN’s Shams Charania, and not Scams Charania or Slams Charania or some other fake troll username. Nope, it was the real Shams. Then I took a moment to wonder if he had been hacked by a troll somehow. Unlikely, and would be especially cruel, but it would be the sort of thing to happen to the Sixers.

I think that’s why this feels so monumental. I didn’t think this franchise could surprise me anymore, in a good or bad way. From The Process through Collargate, to crushing repeated injuries, to player drama around the likes of Ben Simmons and James Harden, to seemingly freakish occurrences like Kelly Oubre Jr. getting hit by a car or Markelle Fultz forgetting how to shoot, to a Paul George drug suspension, to the highs of drafting a player like VJ Edgecombe to the lows of the 2024-25 season… and that’s just naming A FEW of the headlines from the last decade or so.

I didn’t think this franchise could surprise me ever again, honestly.

Until they did. Boy, did they ever. And I love it.

Now, as someone who has covered this team for years now and was a fan of them long before, there is a certain level of fear and apprehension that comes with anything seemingly good happening to the franchise. At times, I’ve almost been convinced the team was cursed by some unknown force in the universe. I’ve often pondered if the Camden practice facility had accidentally been built on a sacred burial ground.

But, today, I’m going to let myself be excited, as a Sixers journalist and as a fan. The reason for that is simple: I love this deal. This was a good deal. A great deal, even. A no-brainer. Hindsight will always be 20/20. Views on the deal could sour in the future if Brown suffers some freak Sixers-esque injury or PG experiences some late-career resurgence in Boston… but it still will not change the fact that this is a deal you do right now 100 times out of 100 if you are Philadelphia.

Let’s look at it practically. The Paul George contract was one widely regarded as one of the worst in the league for its length and cost. Brown makes a similar amount, with one season added, and is 6.5 years younger than PG. Brown is in his prime, much more available — Brown playing 134 games across the last two seasons compared to PG’s 78 — and is simply a better player than PG by a fair margin.

Just look at last season for a small example. Brown played nearly twice the amount of games George was able to (due to injuries and the drug suspension) and averaged a career-high 28.7 points as well as 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 contests. George had his moments across his 37 games, but averaged just 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Brown was an All-Star, as he’s been for the past four seasons in a row. George hasn’t been an All-Star since 2023-24.

If you don’t want to listen to me, to the stats, or to your own eyes, maybe you’ll take it from Ringer, who has Jaylen Brown at No. 14 in their Top 100 NBA Players for 2025-26. George was ranked No. 66.

Next up is what they gave up in addition to PG. Boston was reportedly asking for the likes of VJ Edgecombe, George and five first-round picks, per Charania. By the time the deal was made, they got just three of those seven asks, with the Sixers keeping the young standout Edgecombe and giving up just two first-rounders — the 2028 (Clippers) of which feels like the biggest loss, if you can even call it that. It is a smaller haul of assets than an injury-prone, 35-year-old Kawhi Leonard just garnered.

I’m not sure how Mike Gansey did it. Perhaps just taking advantage of what felt like a questionable desperation from the Celtics, but welcome to Philly, Mike!

None of this is to say I’ve never criticized or said a bad word about Brown. He’s not infallible, nor am I. I’ve said his Twitch stream antics complaining about flopping and officiating after Boston’s playoff exit was lame. I thought it then, I still do now. I have absolutely personally complained about his forearm push-off method on offense. Now, you’ll also see “reports” from mysterious “league sources” about his personality or his locker room presence being this negative thing.

Not only is Brown a good enough player on his own to outweigh those things, but what the Sixers franchise gets from doing this deal even moreso outweighs all of it by a fair margin. Now, the Sixers have the opportunity to — especially with maybe a little more support pieces down the bench — make an actual contending push with Joel Embiid and Brown for the next few seasons. Even if nothing ends up coming from it and their contracts both end without a championship, you reset in a few seasons with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe at the helm instead. That’s really not a bad spot for the franchise to be in.

All in all, the reality is time will tell what will ultimately come of this blockbuster between the Sixers and Celtics. Maybe all of my writing and posts about this will join the hall of freezing cold takes in a few years. But again, hindsight will always be 20/20! Right now, at the time the deal is being made, this was an absolute no-brainer for Philadelphia.

And I love that they did it.

The biggest question in NBA free agency is where LeBron James will go next.

The four-time NBA champion informed the Los Angeles Lakers he would not return for the 2026-27 season. The news officially kickstarted a new era in LA, but also caused a league-wide stir given James’ desire to find what could be his final destination before retirement.

James has reportedly narrowed down his decision to two teams: the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Warriors insider Nick Friedell reported an update on the 41-year-old.

“It’s about a 50/50 right now. It’s Golden State and Cleveland,” Friedell said. “I just don’t see another team that makes that much sense.

The San Antonio Spurs were previously considered a potential contender in the LeBron sweepstakes, but the rumor was shut down Wednesday. Friedell made his case as to why James would fit so well with the Warriors, but noted the storybook ending would be with Cleveland.

“LeBron is looking for basketball happiness at the end. There’s no better place to do that than here, flatly. He’s got a chemistry with Steph. He knows Draymond for all these years. He knows what Steve Kerr’s all about. They lived it and won a gold medal together in Paris at the Olympics.

“The Warriors, on top of all that, and I think this has gotten lost in the shuffle. They let their players be who they are. Look at Jimmy Butler.”

James began his career in Cleveland and returned for four more seasons before signing with the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season.

James is looking for complete happiness in the twilight of his career and only he knows where he can find it.

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Today is a tough one, Celtics fans. It’s the day after what’s being viewed as potentially one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, and we’re on the wrong end of it.

We’re not used to being in this position. The Celtics are the franchise that wins those trades and turns them into banners. Consider Boston’s greatest hits.

• 1956, Red Auerbach trades two future Hall of Famers, Ed Macauley and draftee Cliff Hagan to the then-St. Louis Hawks for rookie Bill Russell. Eleven championships ensue.
• 1980, Auerbach sends two first-round picks (no. 1 overall plus no. 13) to the Golden State Warriors for center Robert Parish and overall pick no. 3, which became Kevin McHale. Parish and McHale win three titles on their way to the Hall of Fame.
• 1983, Auerbach roasts the Phoenix Suns, acquiring Dennis Johnson and a first-rounder for back-up center Rick Robey. DJ wins two rings with Boston.
• 2007, Danny Ainge gives up young star center Al Jefferson, four other expendable players, and a pair of first-round picks for all-time great Kevin Garnett. Banner 17 follows.
• 2013, Ainge tops himself by shipping a package of players and picks – headed by two aging superstars, Garnett and Celtics legend Paul Pierce – to the Brooklyn Nets for a bunch of players and first-round picks. Two of those picks result in nine seasons of The Jays, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, becoming arguably the best duo in the league.
• 2017, the Celtics win the draft lottery thanks to the Nets trade, and Ainge completes his masterful trade trilogy. Confident that his draft target, Tatum, will be available at no. 3 overall, Ainge sends the top pick in the draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for the third pick plus a future first-rounder. The Jays win Banner 18 together.

Now the Sixers might have their revenge. The NBA world certainly thinks so. Reaction has been pretty much unanimous.

Even frequent Celtics critic Kendrick Perkins got this right.

This appears to be the first time the Celtics have traded away an all-NBA talent who’s undeniably in his prime. To be fair, we don’t yet know why the Celtics took this deal. Was it a financial decision because Brown is in line for a massive contract extension? Also, why could they not get a better return? We can only hope there’s a second trade lined up that will take the sting out of this one. But until more is revealed, all we can do is compare this deal to the most notable trade failures.

• Paul Westphal – Auerbach drafted the athletic point/shooting guard in 1972, and two years later Westphal helped the Celtics win their first title since Bill Russell had retired. However, a year later, possibly because Westphal was up for a new contract, Red traded him to the Phoenix Suns for guard Charlie Scott, who was on the downside of a Hall of Fame career. The Cs won one title with Scott, but he was gone less than two years later. Meanwhile, Westphal hit his prime, made all-NBA four times, and also was voted into the Hall of Fame.

• Joe Johnson – Like Westphal, Johnson was drafted by Boston, who already had Paul Pierce. They might’ve become the precursor to The Jays, but Johnson didn’t even last his rookie year before being shipped to the Suns by impatient general manager Chris Wallace. The Celtics received rotation players Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers, but Johnson played 18 seasons and scored more than 20,000 points.

• Chauncey Billups – Yet another young talent traded too soon. Billups was the third overall pick in 1997, but Celtics president Rick Pitino gave him just a half-season in green before exiling him to Toronto for point guard Kenny Anderson and others. Billups ultimately played for seven teams, but he also was named multiple-time all-NBA and all-defense, plus a Finals MVP with the Pistons.

• Kendrick Perkins – At the 2011 trade deadline, Danny Ainge gambled and lost. The Celtics were leading the East with a 41-14 record when Ainge surprisingly sent Perkins to Oklahoma City for short-term rental Nenad Krstic and talented wing Jeff Green. The justification was that Boston had enough other bigs (including the aging Shaquille O’Neal) to continue their run – but that backfired. The deal disrupted team unity, Shaq missed virtually the entire second half of the season with various hip and leg injuries, and the post-trade record was just 15-12. The Cs fell to third in the East and suffered a second-round playoff exit. Green also missed the entire next season due to a heart condition.

• Bob McAdoo – In 1979, the Celtics were rebuilding, and they had a new owner, the volatile John Y. Brown. Auerbach had collected three first-round picks for that year’s draft, but Brown impulsively traded them to the New York Knicks – without consulting Red – for the high-scoring McAdoo. Problem was, the forward-center didn’t hide that he had no interest in playing for Boston. Ultimately, McAdoo appeared in only 20 games in green and white, and the Celtics finished with what was then their worst record ever, 29-53. Fortunately, Auerbach salvaged the bad trade by sending McAdoo to the Detroit Pistons for the draft picks that became Parish and McHale, as described above.

That brings us back to Jaylen Brown.

All of this happened so quickly. It was just a few days ago when the Milwaukee Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, rendering moot the speculation that the Celtics had offered a trade package led by Jaylen. The basketball arguments against trading Brown for Antetokounmpo included Giannis being two years older, his injury history, and not wanting to see JB suit up for a conference rival.

But what’s come to pass is worse on each of those levels. Paul George is seven years older than Brown, has played more than 56 games just once in the past seven seasons, and now Brown will be on the side of Boston’s oldest and most bitter divisional rival. The fact that this comes just after the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead and lost to Philly in the playoffs for the first time since 1982 makes the situation infinitely worse.

While this deal has similar vibes to the McAdoo trade, it remains to be seen if Stevens can imitate Auerbach and find a way to turn this L into a W. If he can’t, the unfortunate judgment here that this trade will indeed turn out to be the worst one in the 80 seasons of Boston Celtics history.

Celtics roster reset: Depth chart, contracts and more after Jaylen trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The 2026-27 Boston Celtics will be almost unrecognizable to those who have followed the team closely over the last decade.

After 10 memorable seasons with Boston, superstar Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in exchange for Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-rounders. The move was met with stunned reactions across the NBA world as Brown will continue his career with a storied Eastern Conference rival — one that ended Boston’s season in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.

The Celtics also were criticized for bringing in George, who turned 36 in May and will be owed about $57.7 million in 2026-27. It’s hard to believe Boston couldn’t have gotten a better return for someone of Brown’s caliber.

Nonetheless, the C’s will move on without their 2024 NBA Finals MVP and with a new-look roster already taking shape. They addressed their need for frontcourt depth by signing ex-New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson in free agency and added guard depth with veteran Mike Conley Jr.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Celtics’ roster, contract situations, and more following the Brown trade:

Updated depth chart

A Celtics depth chart without Jaylen Brown will take some getting used to. Paul George replaces Brown in the C’s projected starting lineup.

Mitchell Robinson gives Boston much-needed frontcourt depth behind Neemias Queta. Mike Conley will provide the Celtics with guard depth behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, while bringing a respected veteran voice to the locker room.

Draft picks Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell will almost certainly spend the season in Maine.

Contracts

• Jayson Tatum: $58.5 million for 2026-27 (contract expires after 2028-29; includes player option for 2029-30)
• Paul George: $57.7 million (player option for 2028-29)
• Derrick White: $30.3 million (expires after 2027-28; player option for 2028-29)
• Mitchell Robinson: $15 million (expires after 2028-29)
• Sam Hauser: $10.8 million (expires after 2028-29)
• Payton Pritchard: $7.8 million (expires after 2027-28)
• Ron Harper Jr.: $3 million (expires after 2028-29)
• Hugo Gonzalez: $2.9 million (team options for 2027-28 and 2028-29)
• Luka Garza: $2.8 million (expires after 2026-27)
• Dalano Banton: $2.8 million (expires after 2026-27)
• Baylor Scheierman: $2.7 million (team option for 2027-28)
• Neemias Queta: $2.7 million (expires after 2026-27)
• Jordan Walsh: $2.4 million (expires after 2026-27)
• Mike Conley Jr: $2.4 million (expires after 2026-27)
• Amari Williams: Two-way

George’s contract includes a 15 percent trade kicker, bumping his $54.1 million salary for 2026-27 up to the 35 percent max of approximately $57.7 million. His bloated contract makes acquiring him in exchange for Brown even more of a head-scratcher, as Boston’s cap situation remains virtually unchanged.

Harper re-signed with the Celtics on a three-year, $9 million contract. Boston exercised Banton, Queta, and Walsh’s team options.

Robinson signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract in free agency. Conley joined on the veteran minimum.

Rookies

• Chris Cenac Jr. (27th overall pick in 2026 NBA Draft)
• Dillon Mitchell (40th overall pick in 2026 NBA Draft)

Cenac and Mitchell are expected to sign two-way contracts and begin the 2026-27 season with the G League Maine Celtics.

Unrestricted free agents

• Max Shulga
• John Tonje

Shulga, a 2025 second-round pick, didn’t get his team option picked up and is now an unrestricted free agent. The VCU product appeared in 11 games for Boston last season.

Tonje was acquired by the Celtics in exchange for Chris Boucher and a future second-round pick at the NBA trade deadline in February. He signed a two-way contract with the C’s on March 1.

Tonje appeared in six regular-season games for the Celtics, including a season-high 13 points against the Magic in the regular-season finale. Boston didn’t pick up his team option this summer.

Draft picks and TPEs

Future first-round draft picks

• 2027: Own
• 2028: Top-1 protected first-round pick swap with Spurs
• 2028: Most favorable of Sixers or Clippers
• 2029: Traded away (will go to Blazers or Wizards)
• 2030: Own
• 2031: Own
• 2031: Unprotected Sixers pick

The Celtics received a 2028 first-rounder and a 2031 unprotected first-rounder from Philly in the Brown trade. They also acquired two second-round selections.

Notable traded player exceptions

The Celtics created a huge $27.7 million TPE in the Anfernee Simons trade, which expires at the 2027 trade deadline.

They also have an $8.4 million TPE from the Georges Niang trade and a $4.7 million TPE from the Jrue Holiday trade.

On Wednesday, the Mavericks made their first big splash of the summer in trading for Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama. In a deal in which the Mavericks also acquired the rights to draft Turkish sharpshooter Tarik Biberovic, Dallas sent A.J. Johnson, a 2030 first-round pick (via Golden State), and two second-round picks to Memphis. The move gives the Mavericks more scoring off the bench and a big man who can space the floor.

Why Dallas did it

There’s no doubt the Mavericks need more scoring, especially from the perimeter. New team president Masai Ujiri has an affinity with big, scoring forwards, and Santi Aldama is exactly that. During Ujiri’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors, he drafted names like O.G Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Scotty Barnes. He loves a forward who can put the ball in the hoop. Aldama was drafted by the Utah Jazz 30th overall in the 2021 NBA draft and later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he’s spent his entire career. He’s a known Dallas killer, so at bare minimum, he’s one less problem to worry about in the four meetings with the Grizzlies during the regular season.

For the Mavericks, adding a 25-year-old scoring big for what they had to give up is a win. A.J. Johnson wasn’t going to be a long-term piece for Dallas, and the Golden State pick won’t be great (top 20-protected). If this is the return for Aldama, you have to pull the trigger. But it does create a traffic jam at power forward/center for the Mavericks. It’s been widely speculated that some other names potentially on the move could include P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. There are still some uncertainties in the frontcourt for Dallas. This week, the Mavericks extended a qualifying offer to Moussa Cisse, but he can seek a better deal elsewhere, and Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. But the Mavericks drafting Morez Johnson Jr. signaled a change for Dallas in the frontcourt, and more moves are likely to be made. Dallas will absorb Aldama’s $17 million per year into its $20 million trade exception from the Anthony Davis trade

What Aldama brings

Cooper Flagg needs scoring around him. The Mavericks just need scoring in general. Santi Aldama brings that and with size. In the 2025-2026 season, the 7-foot, 215-pound Spaniard averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 47.9% from the floor and 35% from three in 28 minutes. Until last season, in which he only played 43 games due to knee surgery, Aldama had three consecutive seasons of playing at least 60 games. So as a general statement, he’s durable, and the Mavericks desperately need that from their frontcourt. For his career, Aldama has averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

Although he’s not great defensively, Dallas shouldn’t be a weak defensive team, so you can still have him guard the four. His weakest link is guarding in space, so if he has to guard a forward who can operate from the high post or put the ball on the floor, it could be a problem, but overall, not a major concern. For what Aldama brings as a three-level scoring threat, you take the bad with the good.

Memphis received financial flexibility, and Dallas got more scoring. Both sides won.

Looking ahead

As we continue to charge through the offseason, in what has been a very bizarre offseason for many teams, very few things are off the table for the Mavericks to consider. There will likely be more names on the move, but for now, the Mavs added a scoring big, and in today’s NBA, that’s not a bad thing.

As President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens has spent years building up a healthy trust bank.

The Derrick White trade was a hefty deposit. Kristaps Porziņģis for Marcus Smart? Ouch, but ultimately, cha-ching. Jrue Holiday was maybe the biggest down payment in recent memory, one that also led directly to Banner 18. Even the smaller moves over the years helped drive up the balance, one smart decision at a time, hitting singles until “In Brad We Trust” became less of a slogan and more of a reflex.

A strange move would happen, and eventually it made sense.

A painful move would happen, and eventually the gains outweighed the pain.

Something would feel uncomfortable, and the Celtics would usually end up better for it.

That is how trust works. You do enough smart things over enough time, and people start lending you patience they would not give to others.

Then, Stevens traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

I’m still trying to find a reasonable way to process that sentence, but every time I look at it, my brain makes the same dial-up internet sound. Jaylen Brown. To Philadelphia. For Paul George and a handful of picks.

This was not some routine withdrawal from the trust bank.

This was Brad walking into the lobby wearing a ski mask, handing the teller a note that said “I can explain,” and sprinting out with a duffel bag full of every ounce of goodwill he had been methodically building up over years.

Fans deserve to know what, why, and how this just happened.

The first read is ugly

For starters, this is not a “Fire Brad Stevens” column. That feels too simple, and frankly, too soon.

Stevens has earned more than that. Since he was handed the keys in 2021, he was able to build a champion and turn a roster that needed something different into one that could actually finish the job. If anyone in Boston has earned a minute to explain the part of the plan we can’t see yet, it’s probably him.

The problem is that the surface read of this trade is undeniably brutal.

Boston didn’t get younger. Brown is 29. George is 36.

Boston didn’t get better in any obvious way. Brown just averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while carrying a heavier load than anyone expected after Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury. He led a team projected by many to take a step back to 56 wins and finished sixth in MVP voting. George averaged 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, and played 37 games. Yes, he had his moments in the playoffs, primarily at the Celtics’ expense, but he’s not Jaylen Brown.

Boston didn’t get that much cheaper. The Celtics saved just $2.9 million this season, which feels equivalent to finding a twenty in your jeans. Nice? Sure. Franchise-altering? Please. George will make $54.1 million next season and has a $56.6 million player option for the year after that. Brown’s contract ran longer and carried bigger long-term implications, but this was not a clean financial reset where the Celtics suddenly opened the windows and let the fresh cap space breeze roll in.

Then there are the picks.

Two firsts and two seconds aren’t nothing. The unprotected 2031 Philadelphia first could be enormous if the Sixers eventually Sixer themselves into the sun, which history suggests should at least remain on the table. The 2028 pick situation has upside too, especially with the Clippers involved. Future draft capital gives Stevens more avenues, and Adam Himmelsbach reported that the Celtics still intend to build around Tatum.

Earlier on the same day Brown was traded, the Jazz reportedly got two unprotected firsts and two swaps from the Lakers for Walker Kessler. I like Walker Kessler. I would have talked myself into Walker Kessler in Boston in about two minutes. I also do not remember him winning Finals MVP or spending the last decade as one of the faces of a franchise.

That is where the confusion starts to curdle into anger.

You can understand why Boston may have wanted to move Brown’s money. You can see why his leaguewide market may have been more complicated than fans wanted to believe. You can even justify why Stevens might prefer George’s shorter contract, a couple of firsts and future flexibility over years of trying to thread the same expensive needle.

Understanding the ingredients does not mean the meal tastes good.

Right now, Celtics fans are staring at the plate like a waiter brought out lasagna with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on top. All things I like, but it may warrant a chef’s explanation. I would love to hear it. Until then, I’m not going to pretend this looks appetizing.

The unique pain of losing Jaylen Brown

The hardest part of this trade is that Brown was never only a contract, a market value, or an on-off debate waiting to be won by the loudest person on Twitter.

He was a Celtic in the way very few players get to be anymore.

Fans watched him get booed on draft night, then watched him grow from an athletic swingman with a questionable handle into one of the most decorated players in franchise history. They watched him become an All-Star, then an All-NBA player, then the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, then the NBA Finals MVP. They cheered him on as he locked up Luka Dončić in the Finals. They celebrated him as he helped deliver Banner 18. For almost a decade, Brown gave Boston deep playoff runs and real stakes nearly every spring.

Jaylen could also be maddening. Anyone who watched him dribble into traffic knows this. There were possessions where the ball seemed to turn into a live fish in his hands. The passing reads could come late. The advanced numbers have never fully known what to do with Brown, and honestly, neither have a lot of people watching him.

Still, he meant a lot to Boston.

That part feels obvious if you lived through the last 10 years of Celtics basketball instead of viewing Brown as a contract to move rather than a player who helped define the era. Brown was imperfect, expensive, complicated and deeply human. He was also one of the reasons this whole era felt worth believing in.

I keep thinking back to Game 7 against Philadelphia, which is probably a terrible idea for my mental health but here we are. Tatum was out. The Celtics were trying to hang onto a season that had already started slipping away. Brown showed up, blocked shots, attacked Embiid, scored through contact, and for a few minutes in the fourth quarter, it felt like he might drag everyone back from the edge by force.

They never got over the top. The season ended. Philadelphia won the series. A few months later, Boston sent Brown to go play for the team that just embarrassed them in the first round.

If the basketball gods wanted Celtics fans to be reasonable about this, sending Brown to Philadelphia of all places was a strange place to start.

Trading Smart hurt, but the return made sense quickly enough. Porziņģis changed the geometry of the team, Jrue did Jrue things, and Banner 18 gave the pain somewhere to go.

This feels different. There is no immediate emotional landing spot. George is not nothing, but he arrives as an older star with injury questions and a giant price tag attached to him. The picks are useful, but abstract. Flexibility is great in theory, though it has never hit the floor for a loose ball, guarded the other team’s best player, or stared down a hostile crowd in May.

Jaylen Brown did all of that.

So if the Celtics were going to move him, especially to Philadelphia, the explanation needed to be obvious enough for fans to hate it and still understand it.

We are not there yet.

Brad has to earn back the trust he just spent

There are reasonable basketball arguments buried somewhere inside this deal.

Brown’s contract was always going to make the next stage of team-building harder. The second apron was already squeezing the Celtics. Tatum’s recovery changed the timeline. Porziņģis, Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet were already gone. If Boston looked at all of that and decided the cleanest version of the Jays era had already passed, that would be painful, but not impossible to understand.

The league may have viewed Brown differently than Boston fans did, too. His résumé says star, as does his production last season. His playoff history says winner. At the same time, the analytics conversation around him did not come from nowhere, and his contract was always going to make teams think twice. Add in the failed Giannis pursuit, the reported frustration and whatever the Celtics heard behind closed doors, and maybe his market was never going to match what he meant here.

Fine.

That can all be part of the story. It still is not a sufficient explanation.

In my article yesterday about the Celtics’ quiet start to free agency (take me back, I beg you), I wrote about the sign Stevens said he keeps above his desk. It reads, “What do you want? What’s true? And how do you get there?” At the time, it felt like the right framework for a quiet offseason. Brown’s future was unclear, the Celtics had not made the big move yet, and the rest of us were nervous but confident in Brad’s vision, despite having questions.

Now we have the first real answer.

The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown.

That tells us something, and yet not nearly enough.

The “what do you want?” part still seems simple enough. Boston wants to win with Tatum. Himmelsbach reported that the Celtics still intend to build around him, and the additions of Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley Jr. point more toward reshaping than bottoming out. George, assuming health does not turn this whole thing into a Babe Ruth-esque curse, can still help a good team.

“What’s true?” is where it gets harder. Brown apparently never requested a trade, but had grown frustrated with how Boston handled the situation. Stevens had recently called him “a big part of us” while also refusing to predict the future. Celtics brass reportedly agonized over the decision before deciding George and the picks gave them their best path forward.

That is a lot of context. Still, it leaves fans waiting for the rest of the receipt.

Then comes the hardest part of Brad’s sign.

How do you get there?

If the answer starts with trading Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, Stevens has to walk people through the rest of the plan. He does not need to reveal every private conversation or turn the front office into a group chat with the fanbase. That has never been his style, and it would be strange if he started now. But this trade is too big and too illogical for the usual silence.

Fans shouldn’t ask Stevens to apologize for running a front office. They just want him to explain why this was the move that had to happen, why this return was the best haul available, and why the franchise is better positioned now than it was before trading away one of the most important Celtics of this century.

I am open to the idea that there is a plan here. George may be healthier than the internet wants to believe. Those picks could become something bigger. The shorter money may matter more than we can see today. Maybe Stevens chose the least bad door in a hallway full of bad doors.

I can hold those possibilities in my head.

I can also look at this trade and think it makes very little sense from where I’m sitting.

That is why “In Brad We Trust” cannot be the whole argument anymore. Not after this.

Whatever trust Stevens had built up did not disappear completely, but it is hard to pretend there is much left sitting untouched. A vault that once felt packed to the brim now looks like it has a couple of loose pennies rolling around the floor, and Celtics fans are standing outside wondering how the guy who filled it up is the same guy who emptied it.

Maybe Stevens can earn that trust back. Maybe George stays healthy, the picks turn into players as good as Brown was, and the next move makes this one easier to stomach. But that is work he has to do now. The benefit of the doubt is no longer a lifetime pass.

He spent more trust than he ever has before.

The bank is still standing. The vault is open. The alarms are screaming.

Now Celtics fans deserve to know where the money went.

Paul George was traded again on Wednesday in a blockbuster deal that brought Jaylen Brown to the Sixers. It’s been widely panned from Boston’s side, with our own Ricky O’Donnell noting that the Celtics have taken a step away from contention by taking on one of the worst contracts in the NBA, and losing a superstar in the process.

The trade means that George will have suited up for five teams, with three massive trades centered around the three-level scorer. Now that the Celtics deal is in the rearview mirror, we can look back at these staggering deals to see everything that has been given up for PG-13 over the years.

George was traded from the Pacers to the Thunder in 2017 for Victor Oladipo, who seemed destined to become a star — and Domantas Sabonis, who Oklahoma City took with the No. 11 pick the year prior. This was the smallest haul for George, but represented two young talents that were supposed to be cornerstones of the Pacers for years to come.

Next up was the mammoth trade to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, when the Clips were trying to build a big-two contender with Kawhi Leonard and George as the centerpieces. The NBA-shaping deal sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, FIVE first-round picks, and two pick swaps from L.A. to OKC.

George declined his player option with the Clippers in 2024, and signed a max-deal with the Sixers.

That brings us to Wednesday, when the 76ers traded George to the Celtics for Jaylen Brown, as well as a 2028 1st round pick/swap (whichever is more favorable), and two second-round picks. Brace yourselves for everything that Paul George has become over the years, because it’s WILD.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Jaylen Brown
• Jalen Williams (2022 draft pick)
• Cason Wallace (2021 draft pick)
• Domantas Sabonis
• Nikola Topić (2024 draft pick)
• Tre Mann (2021 draft pick)
• Thomas Sorber (2025 draft pick swap)
• Aday Mara (2026 draft pick swap)
• Victor Oladipo
• Danilo Gallinari

Oh, and OKC still has one more 1st-rounder coming in 2027. So, you could either have Paul George, or literally everything needed to build an NBA franchise.

Jaylen Brown bids farewell to Boston in heartfelt social media post originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown has spoken.

On Thursday, one day after being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the former Boston Celtics superstar took to social media with an official goodbye to the city he has called home for the last 10 years.

Read the full statement below:

First and foremost, thank you to the most high, even in the midst of adversity. I’m here with gratitude

I”m still processing how this all went down. I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.

The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me.

Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something.

I’m big on respect and actions speak louder than words. To the people of Boston, thank you. To the community I built here I love you, and to the shiftaz we are locked in for life.

As one chapter closes, another begins.

I’m excited for what’s ahead and grateful for the opportunity to join Philadelphia. Every city has its own identity, its own passion, and its own expectation. I respect that, and I’m looking forward to earning that respect the only way I know how – through the work.

PHILLY #THROWTHEBALLUP LET’S GET IT!

The Celtics selected Brown with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The 29-year-old developed into an All-NBA talent alongside co-star Jayson Tatum, leading Boston to six Eastern Conference Finals appearances, two NBA Finals berths, and one championship. He was named MVP of the 2024 East Finals vs. the Indiana Pacers and the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

In this year’s playoffs, the Sixers erased a 3-1 series deficit to defeat Brown and the Celtics in the first round. Now, Philly will include Brown in a loaded projected starting lineup that also features Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Dean Wade, and Joel Embiid.

Boston received Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-rounders from Philly in exchange for Brown.