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TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (43-45) will play another rubber game tonight as they conclude their three game series with the visiting Minnesota Twins (41-46) at Daikin Park.
RHP Tatsuya Imai (5-3, 5.36 ERA), who’s won three straight decisions, will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Taj Bradley (6-3, 3.98 ERA) and the Twins.
ABOUT IMAI: RHP Tatsuya Imai joined the Astros this offseason as an international signing out of Japan. He’s made 11 MLB starts this year, in which the Astros have gone 7-4, around a month-long IL stint (April 13-May 10). He’s flashed brilliance at times, including his 10-strikeout performance his last time out at DET (6IP), and his 6.0 innings of no-hit ball on May 25 at TEX. Imai has won his last three straight decisions over his last four starts.
RECENT ‘STROS: The Astros have won six of eight, seven of 10, and are 10-4 in their last 14 games. The Astros 16-11 record in June tied as the best in the AL, along with their rival Rangers.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Astros have won five consecutive series dating back to June 12. The last time the Astros won five straight series was from June 20-July 6 of last season (went 12-3 in that stretch). They are looking for their first six-series winning streak since June 14-July 4, 2024.
ANOTHER ALVAREZ?!: Astros top prospect OF Kevin Alvarez has been selected to play in the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, which will be played on July 12 in Philadelphia. Alvarez, 18, who currently ranks as the 70th overall prospect in baseball per MLB.com, has played this season at Class A Fayetteville, hitting .266 (59×222) with 16 doubles, six homers and 30 RBI in 55 games.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have nullified the optional assignment for RHP Kai-Wei Teng and have placed him on the Major League 15-day Injured List with a right knee sprain. His IL placement is effective Sunday, June 28.
JUNE BUGS: The Astros went 16-11 in June thanks to strong June performances by:
• DH Yordan Alvarez: .344 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 1.036 OPS
• 3B Isaac Paredes: .277 BA, 5 HR, 21 RBI, .877 OPS
• SS Jeremy Peña: .319 BA, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .865 OPS
• RHP AJ Blubaugh: 2-0, 1.59 ERA, 3ER/17IP
• LHP Josh Hader: 2-0, 8 saves, 0.69 ERA, 1ER/13IP
• LHP Steven Okert: 1-0, 0.60 ERA, 1ER/15IP
SALAMI SEASON: DH Yordan Alvarez hit the seventh grand slam of his career last night, which ties the club record also reached by 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Alex Bregman and LF Carlos Lee. Last night’s slam was Alvarez’s third of the season, which also ties the franchise record for grand slams in a single year, also reached by Bregman (2023), Altuve (2021) and OF George Springer (2016).
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 2-0 with eight saves (in eight chances) and a 0.69 ERA (1ER/13IP) in 13 appearances this season. He has 21 strikeouts in his 13.0 innings with a .049 (2×41) opponent average and a 0.54 WHIP. Hader has not allowed a hit in six consecutive appearances (6IP since June 21).
TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 63 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (61%). 3B Isaac Paredes (9-for-9) has the most successful challenges in the Majors without losing one. 2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-21 challenges (71%), ranking second in the Majors in challenges won.
OUT ON ASSIGNMENT: The Astros have several players out on minor league rehab assignments:
• RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) will start tonight for Double A Corpus Christi at NW Arkansas in what is his third minor league rehab start.
• RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (rt. shoulder inflammation) will make his second rehab start for Triple A Sugar Land tonight in their game at OKC.
• RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) began his minor league rehab assignment yesterday for the FCL Astros, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings on 25 pitches.
• IF Braden Shewmake (rt. adductor strain) will have his rehab assignment transferred to Triple A today.
• OF LaMonte Wade Jr. (rt. hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple A last night, going 1×3 with a walk in a start at first base.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 1, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: SCHN
Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
According to reports from both Shams Charania and Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks have made a trade for Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama. Dallas sends a top-20 protected Golden State Warriors first-round pick and a pair of future second-round picks. The Mavericks will absorb Aldama’s $17 million salary by way of the $20 million trade exception created when Dallas traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards earlier this year. Dallas is also sending AJ Johnson to Memphis.
The 7 foot tall, 215 pound power forward was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021. During his five seasons, he’s played 278 regular season games, averaging 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. While he played just 43 games last season, sitting the rest of the regular season following a knee procedure, he averaged career highs, scoring 14, grabbing nearly seven rebounds, and dishing just under three assists per game in nearly 28 minutes per game.
Aldama is an average three-point shooter, hitting just under 35% from distance in his career. But he’s also a willing one, taking around five per game last season. Though it’s unclear at the moment how exactly he fits into the Dallas roster, the Mavericks will be playing at a faster pace next season according to new head coach Dusty May, so it stands to reason they’ll be letting shots fly too.
Locked in Maverick fans may remember him from a scuffle with Cooper Flagg following an Aldama trip.
Dallas does have a bit of a forward logjam at the moment, so one has to wonder what other moves are coming next, if any. At least potential new guard Sergio De Larrea with a fellow Spaniard on the team. The two have been at camp together for the Spanish National team but I do not think they’ve played on it in any major tournaments, perhaps just a friendly match or two. Either way, there is familiarity there.
Johnson leaves Dallas without making much of an impression, playing in 23 games last year while shooting a dismal 32% from the floor. After just 2 seasons and 77 total NBA games, I am fairly certain he is not a NBA player and would be surprised if he’s on any roster next season.
Overall, without knowing about any future moves, this one seems solid. Aldama has a team option next year, and considering he’s just 25 years old, this seems like a low-risk roster move with plenty of potential upside.
It all started to go south when word leaked that the Boston Celtics were willing to trade Jaylen Brown if it meant landing Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Boston's package ended up not being enough to get a deal done, but the toothpaste was now out of the tube. Brown didn't feel wanted, that relationship was irreparably damaged. Boston was scrambling to find another trade for Brown. Except, it was finding the market lukewarm, especially considering how well Brown played the season before, finishing sixth in MVP voting (Brown's massive contract, with three years and $183 million left on it, was concerning teams in the Apron era).
It led to an unexpected blockbuster deal.
Boston is trading Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, a trade first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by other sources. The details on the picks are a 2028 first-rounder that can convert to a swap if that's more favorable to Boston, and an unprotected 2031 Philadelphia first-rounder.
Boston trading Brown, at the peak of his powers, to a division rival is stunning. That Boston got a smaller return for Brown at his peak than the Clippers just got for 35-year-old Kawhi Leonard is something Brad Stevens has to answer for.
This trade is a big win for Philadelphia's new head of basketball operations, Mike Gansey.
Philadelphia has been dreaming of getting out from under the Paul George contract, who, at age 36, is owed $54.1 million this coming season and includes a player option for $56.6 million for next season (which he likely picks up). It's not only the money (Brown is owed more), it's the value on what is being paid out. George, 36, played in only 37 games last season — he missed 25 due to a suspension for violating the league's drug policy — and has had lingering injury issues. George was considered to be on one of the worst contracts in the NBA.
When healthy, George is still a good, high-IQ player, but not the elite force he was in his prime. Last season, in the 37 games he played, George averaged 17.3 points a game, although he did shoot 39.2% from 3-point range. George and Jayson Tatum form a quality forward combination, and they have talent around them, including the just-picked-up Mitchell Robinson at the five. But Brown and Tatum won a title together, and this feels like a step back from the 2024 championship squad. On paper, it's tough to see this team beating New York or Detroit (or maybe Indiana or Philly) in a seven-game playoff series.
Philadelphia replaces George with Brown, who averaged a career-best 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while playing high-level defense last season leading Boston to the No. 2 seed in the East.
The 76ers now roll out a starting lineup that includes Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Brown, and if they get anything from Joel Embiid, they are a threat to win the East.
Philadelphia will enter the season as a legitimate threat to win the East — that is the definition of winning a trade.
Better late than never?
Austin Reaves is finally reacting to the news that he and LeBron James will no longer be teammates in Los Angeles.
More than a day after James revealed he was moving on from the Lakers, Reaves took to his Instagram Stories to wish his pal well.
“Thank you for everything,” Reaves said in a caption on three images of he and James sharing the court together.
“See you on the golf course soon brother!”
Reaves’ delay in acknowledging James’ departure caught the attention of many, considering the headlines Rich Paul made in January when he suggested on his podcast that the Lakers trade Reaves.
Rich Paul says if he ran the Lakers, he would call Memphis Grizzlies to trade for Jaren Jackson Jr for a package with Austin Reaves
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) January 12, 2026
“If I was the Lakers I would be targeting the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson… If you’re building around Luka you need… pic.twitter.com/vEj647cWfT
James’ agent said on “Game Over” that he believed the Lakers sending Reaves to Memphis in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr. would make them a better team.
The clip made so many waves, Reaves’ agent, Reggie Berry of AMR Agency, reportedly approached Paul at a game and spoke with him about the remarks for several minutes.
James later distanced himself from Paul’s comments during an interview with ESPN.
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“I think you all know by now, Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel,” James said. “And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they’re not sensible to know that, then I don’t know what to tell them.”
With his post on Wednesday, Reaves — who’s been teammates with James the past five seasons — joined several other Lakers who penned heartfelt goodbyes to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Luka Doncic wrote on Instagram that it was “an honor to play with and learn from” James. Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes all also sent out social media tributes to the future Hall of Famer.
It’s not yet known where James will play next — though the Warriors, Heat, Cavaliers and Timberwolves have been considered the favorites in the early goings of free agency.
The San Antonio Spurs were one of the most fascinating theoretical LeBron James destinations on the board.
Now, they appear to be out of the sweepstakes.
After agreeing to a two-year, $31 million deal with Tobias Harris, San Antonio is not expected to pursue James in free agency, according to Marc Stein.
On paper, the Spurs made plenty of sense.
Victor Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the league and has quickly turned San Antonio into a legitimate contender.
Pairing him with James would have created one of the NBA’s most fascinating cross-generational duos: the defining superstar of the last 20 years alongside the player many expect to define the next 10.
James could have given the Spurs another playmaker, a veteran postseason organizer and a mentor for Wembanyama as San Antonio tries to move from exciting young contender to championship team.
But free agency is not about storybook fits.
Rich Paul recently said James’ decision is being guided by “complete happiness,” which means his final choice will include a wide range of basketball and non-basketball factors.
Paul also said he has spoken to “about 12-14 teams,” meaning almost half the league has at least been part of the conversation. He described James’ ideal landing spot as one where he can compete for a championship with players who understand high-level basketball.
With the Spurs seemingly stepping aside, the remaining rumors narrow. Golden State, Cleveland, Miami, Minnesota and Denver have all been connected to James in some form.
Golden State offers the dream pairing with Stephen Curry, turning one of the league’s great rivalries into a must-watch partnership built on shooting, passing and championship experience.
Cleveland offers the emotional full-circle ending, with James returning home for one final run around an already strong Cavaliers core.
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Miami offers history and star power, especially if a trio of James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo is somehow in play.
Minnesota offers a version of the Spurs’ appeal, with Anthony Edwards giving James a young superstar partner on a team already built to contend.
Denver may be the most entertaining basketball fit of all, with James alongside Nikola Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets’ core conjuring video-game-level possibilities.
And, apparently, year-round golf access matters too.
San Antonio would have been fun.
But if this report holds water, LeBron’s free agency list has been narrowed all the way down to… almost every other team in the league
The San Francisco Giants were content to play through one infielder injury, but not a second one. On Wednesday, ahead of their series finale against the Diamondbacks, the team announced that third baseman Matt Chapman had been placed on the 10-Day Injured List with an abdominal strain. Taking his place on the roster is fellow infielder Christian Koss, who was technically called up from AAA Sacramento, though he had been rehabbing an injury of his own in the Arizona Complex League at the time of the call up.
San Francisco has been playing down an infielder for a few games, after shortstop Willy Adames suffered a mild enough injury that the team decided not to place him on the IL, even though he wasn’t available. That resulted in a debacle during Tuesday’s loss when Chapman injured his abdominal, took his next at-bat anyway due to a lack of infielders on the bench, and appeared to worsen the injury before finally leaving the game. That resulted in center fielder Jonah Cox playing second base, while second baseman Luis Arráez shifted to third.
With Chapman out, Casey Schmitt — who has been playing all over the diamond this year — will become an everyday player at his best position. Koss, who is in the lineup tonight, will presumably by the everyday shortstop until Adames is able to play again. And until Adames is able to play again, the Giants will once again operate without a backup infielder, which is a very functional way to do things.
PHOENIX — Already without their starting shortstop, the San Francisco Giants will have to navigate at least the next 10 days without the other half of the left side of their infield, too.
Third baseman Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with an abdominal strain that manager Tony Vitello said MRIs revealed was “mild.” Christian Koss, a utility infielder, was called up from Triple-A so that the Giants had at least the bare minimum number of infielders.
That became an issue when Chapman exited Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning with shortstop Willy Adames already unavailable with back spasms. It resulted in the Giants ending the game with an outfielder — Jonah Cox — at second base and Luis Arraez filling in at third.
Adames said he was feeling better Wednesday and went through his normal infield drills before the Giants’ final game against the Diamondbacks. He remains on track to return Friday.
The prognosis on Chapman wasn’t quite so optimistic but still fairly positive.
Vitello said he expects the third baseman to return before the All-Star break, indicating that he should only require the minimum stay on the IL or close to it. He is eligible to return next Friday — three games before the break.
“It’s probably a little bit like a hamstring, with all that twisting, if you don’t let it heal properly, it’s probably not going to go away,” Vitello said. “I think it’s serious enough that … he was going to need a decent amount of time, a couple of days at a minimum. But I don’t think it’s severe enough to push past that point.”
Koss was immediately inserted into the starting lineup at shortstop. Casey Schmitt, who filled in at short the past two games, moved over to third, his natural position where he should get most of the playing time in Chapman’s absence.
Chapman said he had been dealing with off-and-on discomfort around his hip flexor and into his lower midsection since the start of May. But it became unbearable after he made a barehanded play to retire Gabriel Moreno for the final out of the sixth inning.
Chapman attempted to stay in the game and took his next at-bat in the top of the seventh but was clearly in pain and was replaced on defense in the bottom half of the inning.
““It hasn’t been to where it’s been affecting me — I would say something — but it’s been something we’ve been treating to try to keep me on the field,” Chapman said. “There’s been good days and bad days. These last couple weeks, probably, it’s been really tight.
“For whatever reason, today when I ran to first in my first at-bat, I started to feel it get really pissed off and bother me. Then it went away.
“When I made that barehanded play, that was the first time that it made me cringe and go down a little bit to where I was actually in a lot of pain.”
The timing is unfortunate given Adames’ current absence, but the Giants are hopeful the shortstop will be ready to return Friday when they begin a series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Adames, who missed only three games combined the past two seasons, said he was “going crazy” sitting out for a third straight game.
“Seeing his activity, he looks really good. Talking to him, he feels really good,” Vitello said, expecting Adames to be available if needed off the bench in the series finale.
Additionally, Chapman was already planning on missing three games sometime during what will now be an IL stint. His wife, Taylor, is expecting their first son, Jack, this weekend.
“Obviously I can’t speak from experience,” the bachelor manager said. “But that’s gotta be a huge stressor, even when you take out any injuries. So knock out two things — one negative, one massively positive — in the next week or so and be ready to rock and roll a little bit before the All-Star break.”
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At the trade deadline during the 2025-26 season, the Kings acquired Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional 3rd-round pick. Laughton's impact on the Kings was significant enough that, when their season ended, the Kings expressed interest in keeping him.
With Laughton becoming a King only after the 2026 NHL trade deadline, his play is based on a small sample size. Laughton played 21 games for the Kings, scoring 5 goals, tallying 3 assists for 8 points. Laughton played primarily on the 3rd line for the Kings as a centerman, averaging 17 minutes with the Kings.
Laughton covers lots of different areas for the Kings. He is a strong two-way centerman who is also a strong penalty killer. Laughton is also very strong on faceoffs, which is extremely important for the Kings, as their biggest gaps in the lineup are at centre. That is where the Kings' value of having Scott Laughton on their team lies: in the areas they need the most help, he can be that guy for the Kings, which is why, before free agency, he was a top priority for the Kings.
Before signing with the Kings at 3 years, $3.5 Million, his previous contract was 5 years at 3 Million AAV. Overall, this deal is pretty good for the Kings, as they don't spend a huge amount on Laughton but still keep him for 3 years at a good price. Overall, Scott Laughton's style of play brings a lot of value to himself and the Kings because not only do the Kings like all aspects of his game, but he is also only 32 and still fully capable of playing elite-level hockey for the next couple of seasons. The Kings did well both by keeping a valuable player and by getting a good deal.
Important starting note: I am not — NOT! — Brian Murphy from KNBR. Never have been!
Back in December, I cautioned that nobodyshould want the San Francisco Giants to trade Logan Webb. Then I laid out all the reasons why the Giants would even consider it and when the best time for such an unthinkable move might be. At the time, I didn’t consider the possibility that the major league roster would go belly up, so my conclusion that this coming offseason would be the best time (should the team hover around .500 again) was wrong because now is the best time.
I didn’t want the Giants to trade Logan Webb then, but I do now. And I think you should want them to do it, too.
Now, there are many arguments for and against this, and I’ll lay them out in a moment; but, the main thing is that history is repeating itself in a somewhat eerie way. This isn’t exactly the situation Farhan Zaidi found himself in with Madison Bumgarner when he took over at the end of 2018 or throughout the 2019 season, but it’s in the ballpark. The dirt bike accident had accelerated the wear and tear on his shoulder that had already been burdened by his workload. In the 2018 offseason, MLB.com asked if this was the right moment for the Giants to trade Bumgarner because this would be his maximum value heading into his final year under contract.
Bumgarner had thrown 573.1 more innings (1,638.1 regular season + 102.1 postseason) to that point in his career than Logan Webb has as of today (1,152.2 regular season + 14.2 postseason), but that’s more of an illustration of physicality than raw talent. Bumgarner is bigger and started his MLB time sooner (19 vs. 22).
The Giants didn’t move Bumgarner because he was a franchise icon and World Series hero. To move him would be to signal surrender or that the team didn’t expect to be competitive heading into or during the season. Or, that it would be a shameful way to end his Giants career. Same thinking that compelled the Giants to hold on to Carlos Rodon in 2022. Or maybe there wasn’t the right return for those guys, which acted as the most compelling reason to hold on to Bumgarner and simply let him walk at season’s end and hold on to Rodon in case the team got hot down the stretch (they did not).
So, the 50,000 foot view of the matter comes down to this: if you think the Giants can be good soon (insert your own definition of “soon”), then you can’t imagine why the Giants would want to trade Logan Webb. If you are considering other things like the current win-loss record, the age of the roster (especially the lineup core), and the weight of the last decade of failure/mediocrity, then you probably have a more open mind to trading the guy who is, without question, the face of the franchise. The Perfect Giant.
At some point, somebody running the Giants has to take a long view with the roster. The team has been in a “Win Now!” mode for most of the last 15 years. The only real, public power down/reset they’ve had this century was in that 2005-2008 range where they stuck with the idea of “Hmm, maybe Barry Bonds is all we need to draw fans right now” before transitioning to a post-Bonds situation.
And then they entered a competitive window and tried to keep that exact cell of success going for as long as possible. They hired Farhan Zaidi with the thought that the transition from that time period to the next competitive window would be mercilessly brief thanks to “analytics,” or whatever, a notion that’s not without merit and bore fruit only a few years later with a miraculous fluke of a season in 2021.
But the analytics guy got too myopic and the roster’s performance stagnated and that led to the Giants considering Buster Posey as the one neat trick to fix the entire organization. And here we are.
The Giants are one of the worst teams in the sport. Their only hope is the farm system developing on the level of the one he was a part of right before the team became champions. That’s a big gamble, and it might not come to fruition for a couple of years. The other gamble is that a lot of the players currently on the team play better.
Well, that’s a lot of gambling and not a lot of certainty. Baseball is a sport that laughs at certainty, of course, but when it’s there, it makes sense to cling to it. Logan Webb is about as certain of a #1 starter as it gets in MLB, so trading him doesn’t make a lot of sense for a team that’s trying to compete.
But by Buster Posey’s own words, the team’s performance has necessitated a reconsideration of that belief. They’re open to trading everybody except Logan Webb. Maybe that’s posturing to drive up the offers, but let’s assume it isn’t, because the Giants have been in this exact spot before and failed to meet the moment.
And yes, it’s about maximizing a return for players who can help the San Francisco Giants now and in the future. With Robbie Ray likely on the move, the 2026 rotation is already going to go from bad to worse and that’s with Webb fronting it. This offseason, assuming there isn’t a lockout, Buster Posey and Zack Minasian will have to once again rebuild the Giants’ rotation, needing at least another pair of starters on short-term, mid-to-low cost contracts to backup Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, and, I don’t know, Carson Whisenhunt/Trevor McDonald… and Adrian Houser, I guess, because
Does having Logan Webb front a bad rotation make the Giants better now and in the future? It’s a poor but not inexcusable business plan for an entertainment firm (as the San Francisco Giants are in part) to run out Barry Bonds as the face of the franchise in his age 40-42 seasons so that fans can watch him sock some dingers 4-5 times a week, but it’s less reasonable when the face is a pitcher who appears once every 5 days and can have a great performance wiped out by the defense around him or the bullpen behind him.
Logan Webb has looked great since returning from the injured list. Like his old, dominant self. The reason to watch the Giants. But since he only makes around 33 starts a year, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to hold sacrosanct the entertainment value in 20% of a season if the remaining 80% of the season ranges from unwatchable to boring and not when the team has been mediocre to bad for going on 10 years now. Since the second half of 2016, they’re 736-777 (.486) with one postseason appearance.
Will the 2027 Giants be better with Logan Webb on it? I don’t know. He’s on the 2026 roster and they’re pretty bad. He’s been on the roster since 2022 and those teams weren’t very good. He might’ve pitched them into being merely disappointing rather than outright bad, but he hasn’t been able to pitch them out of this year’s situation.
I suppose I will never convince you that a bad team should do whatever it takes to get better, and that includes trading their good players sometimes. I think that’s a key point here. It’s not like the Giants need to unload their best players every year, but to say that the Giants are one good offseason away or one year of player development away from leaping into being a contender for the 3rd Wild Card spot ignores an awful lot of what’s going on with the team and it’s this exact belief system that has caused years of frustration ahead of the franchise finally driving itself into a ditch this season.
It’s time to change the thinking.
A move of this caliber would not be without precedent. It’s sort of the Matt Williams trade. In that one, Brian Sabean needed to clear money and get a shortstop, all while improving the team. In 10 seasons with the Giants, Williams amassed 31.9 fWAR (about a 3-win player) and hit 18% better than the league average — though, in his final four years he was 39% better and a 4.5-win player. As Grant noted on this site back in 2011:
It was a bold decision, and Sabean knew it would be unpopular, but he probably didn’t realize how unpopular. Still it was absolutely the right time to trade Williams. He was 30, and he was (for the time) expensive. He was about a four- or five-win player — a hard thing to find — but the Giants were absolutely rubbish in 1996. A quality for quantity trade was a pretty good idea.
And, maybe most importantly, Williams was starting to get hurt a lot. He played 76 games in 1995, and 105 in 1996. His value was probably never going to be higher.
In exchange for Matt Williams, Brian Sabean “got death threats at home, on the voicemail […] at the office,” while the Giants received Julian Tavarez, Jose Vizcaino, and (unbeknownst to all) future Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, who combined with Barry Bonds (and Sabean’s other decisions) to spark a new wave of winning Giants Baseball.
Logan Webb is approximately the same stature as Matt Williams in terms of face of the franchise value. He’s about a four- or five-win player — a hard thing to find — and the Giants have been absolute rubbish here in 2026. And just to break these filters down a bit more:
Two of the teams on that list of 50-loss teams (and, to be clear, there have been worse teams since 2022) turned things around the very next year. In the case of the 2025 Pirates, though, that was a matter of adding some offense to a putrid lineup in addition to having a generational talent like Paul Skenes front their rotation in a pitching-friendly park. Now, you might say that the Giants are in this exact situation. But I’d argue that the Giants have already surrounded Logan Webb with offensive additions — Devers, Adames, Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee — only, they haven’t worked out! The team is on pace for its fifth consecutive non-winning season, something that has never happened before in the history of the franchise.
The Giants are in a position where they need starting pitching depth, a trade chip that’s hard to come by unless you’re willing to give up something big in return, and that’s a meaningful part of this thought process — the Giants might make themselves worse in the near-term, but would they be able to improve quickly just by the quality of player(s) they’d receive for Webb?
And, maybe most importantly, Webb just missed a significant amount of time for the first time as the team’s ace. Indeed, his best days might be behind him, if history is an indicator. His value might never be higher.
Usually, the best starting pitchers are traded at the deadline when their contracts are set to expire at season’s end. Your Randy Johnson, CC Sabathia, Max Scherzer, etc. And, usually, teams don’t trade these aces at the deadline. It’s either in the offseason or not at all.
As mentioned before, if the Giants trade Robbie Ray (as they’re expected to), then how does Logan Webb fronting that rotation make the team any better? In the offseason, the rotation will once again need to be rebuilt. Major league caliber pitching is not easy to come by, of course, and comparing this situation to the Matt Williams situation or any of the other marquee starting pitcher trades in recent memory isn’t the best way to go because, usually, a team doesn’t get back a pitcher they can just plug into their rotation.
But unlike some of the names I’ve dropped, Webb’s value on the mound extends to his contract, which has two years remaining after this season. Even with a potential lockout, a rested Webb in the final year of his deal would have tremendous value. Going through some similar trades, the position player prospects tend to leap out more, but that might not be the reason to avoid making the trade. It might make it easier to offload some of the other hitting veterans for additional pitching.
About the closest comps I could find from a starting pitching point were:
At the time of the deal, the 35-year old right-hander had 2.5 years left on his then-record pitching deal. In exchange for Greinke, Arizona received Houston’s #3 prospect, 1B Seth Beer, pitchers JB Bukauskas (#4 – MLB Pipeline’s #97 overall) & Corbin Martin (#5 — Pipeline’s #81), and infielder Josh Rojas. Houston plugged him into their rotation alongside Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.
Jeff Luhnow’s Astros at it again, dealing three from their then-top 11 prospects for the future Hall of Fame righty: catcher Franklin Perez (#3), outfielder Daz Cameron (#9), and catcher Jake Rogers (#11). Verlander had two guaranteed years remaining plus an option year.
Harden was still in arbitration years (with just one left) at the time of this deal and often injured, so it’s not a great comp, but in exchange for Harden (and Chad Gaudin), the A’s got back pitcher Sean Gallagher (the Cubs’ top pitching prospect at the time?), outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson (Murton also a top 10 Cubs prospect), and then-catcher Josh Donaldson (also a top 10 prospect).
Another not-quite-the-same-situation as Schilling had just an option year for 2001, but in exchange for Schilling, Philadelphia got back first baseman Travis Lee plus three pitchers: Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla, and Nelson Figueroa.
And then there’s this musing by the sharp GPT on Bluesky:
In every scenario, the Giants would scoop up at least 3 of a team’s top 10 prospects. With the Giants not able to participate in the draft lottery for 2027, the power of this year’s draft plus supplementation with a prospect-heavy trade would be the best avenue for supercharging the team’s prospect pool. Some teams of note:
… the Giants have 3.
So, there’s lots of possibilities here. Just off the top of my head (and keeping in mind that I’m bad at this, which is why I rarely do posts about trade ideas), if Luis Arraez is moved in a separate deal, then why not bring in the next best contact guy — Steven Kwan — to replace him? Logan Webb & Heliot Ramos for Kwan, Braylon Doughty, Jace LaViolette, and, like, Daniel Espino? No, no, of course not. Cleveland would never take on a contract like that (~$55 million total through 2028). By the way, I included LaViolette mainly because “His nickname is Lord Tubbington.”
As much as the farm system has improved, trading Webb offers a chance to supercharge it while also improving the weaker parts of the major league roster. They don’t presently enjoy a prospect with a 60 Future Value and that’s because they’re hard to come by. FanGraphs lists only 12 at the moment:
A reminder that Leo De Vries was acquired by the Athletics from the Padres who sent them a huge chunk of their farm system for Mason Miller. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that some team(s) out there might really REALLY REALLY want Logan Webb on their team and would be willing to pay a lot to get him. He’s a dynamic, gutsy pitcher with a contract that’s a winner on any roster.
Yes, there’s a bit of luck involved in all of this. The Matt Williams trade looks a lot better because of Jeff Kent (Julian Tavarez, don’t come after me; Vizcaino stans stay away!) and a lot of the deals mentioned just a moment ago don’t really stand out as benefitting the teams that traded away the ace. On the other hand, isn’t “Well, the Giants will need Logan Webb again for the next good Giants team” also just banking on luck? What evidence has there been in the last 10 years to suggest that the Giants are a move away or a win streak away from its next competitive window? Understanding that the power of hope comes from being undaunted, I wonder what the value is — never mind the logic — in continuing to swing for the fences down 8-1 when a walk might start a rally that actually helps the team stage a comeback?
I forgot to mention that Tyler Mahle might be traded, too, meaning 40% of the rotation is set to leave before the end of the season. The only reason to hold on to Logan Webb in this case is for ticket sales and ratings. With the increase in attendance this season, that might be reason enough. Plus, where else will starting pitching innings come from?
Buster Posey and Zack Minasian are still learning on the job. As inexperienced as a GM as Brian Sabean was in 1996, he knew enough to know that the team had to make some big changes in order to improve, but also that he didn’t know what he didn’t know.
But at its core, this was a rookie GM trading one of the league’s biggest stars. So before Sabean signed off on the deal, he took Hart aside.
“I’ll never forget it,” Hart said. “Sabes came to me privately and said, ‘Harty, you gotta tell me if there’s anything I’m missing here. I’ve got to be sure.’ He was nervous. I said, ‘Look Sabes, we’re not jumping up and down on this either. We’re giving up some good players.’ That is how I remember it: we felt we were getting exactly what we wanted and they were unsure. They were trading their marquee guy.
“At the end of the day, he said, ‘If you’re ready, we’re ready.’ And off we go.”
Maybe Buster Posey has the sense that the team does need a dramatic shakeup, but that trading Logan Webb would be a step too far. Plus, despite the franchise’s plummet from champions to afterthoughts since the second half of 2016, with Logan Webb on the team the Giants have been winners, with a record of 507-487 (.510). He might be the one player holding the Giants back from total oblivion. So, if Buster Posey and Zack Minasian’s decision-making has led to one of the worst teams in the history of the franchise, why should they be entrusted with trading away such an important player?
It’s an argument you’ll see sometimes. At the same time, you’ll see the argument that the team’s farm system is greatly improved and that the decision-making there is working out. So, on the one hand, people have faith in Buster’s ability to set the direction and talent levels for the future but not in the present? I don’t think this argument actually makes sense or has any value. If Buster Posey’s biggest gambles (signing Adames, trading for Devers) are largely defensible, then the biggest one of all should be, too. The Giants have already traded Patrick Bailey, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval in the past calendar year. Go back to March 2025 and you would have a hard time believing that such things were fathomable.
If you’re a fan who thinks the Giants are on the right track with their player development, then why wouldn’t you want Buster & Zack using their scouting acumen to acquire more young talent? When the Giants traded Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, they said that the trick would be to find the next Zack Wheeler. That didn’t really happen, and it’s important to note that Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner were all done with being aces by age 30. Logan Webb turns 30 in November.
He is their best player right now and has been for some time, but the future of the Giants must not rest on the shoulders of Logan Webb. So, I encourage us all to close our eyes and imagine the Giants trading him this season. Or talk to your friends and neighbors about it. Drop it in the group chat. However you want to communicate with the universe, but let’s all just… put it out there. It’s the fastest way for the Giants to improve.
The Celtics have officially traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft compensation. It’s a move that will be scrutinized by many for its underwhelming basketball return.
On the court, the organization parts ways with a five-time All-Star and a former Finals MVP, a player who has been one of their franchise cornerstones for nearly a decade.
On the court, the Celtics lose a player who finished 6th in MVP voting last season, and someone who helped lead the team to six conference Finals appearances, two Finals, and one title. Without question, Brown is one of the NBA’s elite scorers, and — as he pointed out in a Tweet on Saturday — no one has won more combined regular-season and playoff games than him since he entered the league.
On the court, it will be hard for the Celtics to replace his production, and the basketball implications of the trade remain to be seen.
On the court, Brown departs as one of just six Finals MVPs in franchise history.
But off the court, Brown’s impact is even more profound and hard to measure. Since he arrived in Boston, Brown decided he wanted to make an impact in the community, connect with the kids who live in the city, and invest in entrepreneurs and creators from underrepresented groups. He launched multiple endeavors — first the 7uice Foundation, and later Boston XChange — immersed himself in the city, and became a fixture in the community.
Basketball pundits can debate the franchise’s return in the trade all they want, but no matter how you slice it, there’s an off-court component to the transaction that will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to quantify.
But, let’s take a quick look at it.
Jaylen Brown launched the 7uice Foundation in 2019 to bridge the opportunity gap for youth in underserved communities. The foundation houses the Bridge program, an educational, week-long camp for youth from the Greater Boston Area, as well as several other endeavors meant to promote education.
Throughout my three seasons covering Brown, I attended the majority of his many off-court events and routinely observed one thing: no matter how busy his schedule got, he spent hours on end with kids eager to meet with him, asking them questions, getting to know them, and for the extent of their interactions, making them feel like the most important people in the room.
In February, Brown hosted a first-of-its-kind college fair in Roxbury. Ambassadors from Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Hampton, and other universities were in attendance, as were various internship and job programs. Brown estimated over 100 different partners came to the Boys and Girls Club for the event, all with the intent of showing the local youth their futures hold plenty of options, even “when people, or society, are counting on them to fail.”
“[The goal was] just to take a bunch of resources and bring them to a place that typically doesn’t have the same access,” Brown said.
The Celtics star regularly partnered with higher education institutions and community groups. Last year, on Juneteenth, he gifted sneakers to students at the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Club in Dorchester. He had his shoe and apparel line, 741 Performance, partnered with a marketing class at Babson College and worked directly with undergraduate students in the program.
Over the years, Brown regularly visited schools across Boston, sometimes on camera, and more often more under-the-radar.
Andrea Swain, the Boys and Girls Club’s chief impact officer, noted that Brown’s involvement in the community is nothing new.
“He’s been doing it since he arrived in Boston,” she told CelticsBlog. “He’s everywhere. He’s been at some of the playgrounds in Roxbury — he’s an active, engaged figure, and a lot of stuff he does is off camera. He’ll come and give out turkeys in the community, give encouragement.”
Last summer, after the Celtics second-round elimination to the New York Knicks, Brown took it upon himself to surprise students at five schools across Roxbury, andDorchester.
“People couldn’t stop talking about it, I can’t even lie,” Jaylon Mason, a graduating senior at Brooke High School, told CelticsBlog after Brown visited his school. “It’s the equivalent of, like, sitting on your bed and eating cereal, watching TV, and like, Obama comes in.”
In 2021, amid the Covid pandemic, Brown launched the Bridge program. Last summer, he let me attend the interdisciplinary program, which centered on robotics, artificial intelligence, climate change, food insecurity, data visualization, and a range of other topics. Hundreds of students from across the city attended for free.
“I wanted to send the kids who are helpful in their community, who seem to care, who want to strive to help and touch others,” Brown told me as the camp neared its conclusion. “I wanted to bring 100+ kids together, who all kind of had the same mentality.”
Brown attended the entirety of Bridge, all while rehabbing from his offseason knee surgery. He explained that he felt a prerogative to give back to the community given the immense power he has as a professional athlete.
“Even in a city like Boston, some of our most prominent figures in sports are more influential than any of the political leaders here,” Brown said. “So, exposing [students] to building life skills, and at the same time, building leadership skills — the combination of those two can make some really good human beings.”
He credits his grandmother for teaching him from a young age that he had to work hard to make an impact: “The quote that I would say that encapsulates that is: There are a bunch of people who complain about society, but do little to contribute to it. And my grandma was like, ‘You’re not gonna be one of those people.’ You can’t live in a community for 10 years plus, and have contributed nothing outside of whatever business you’re doing.”
Brown and his mother, Mechalle, are working to turn the Bridge program into a year-long program.
Jaylen Brown launched Boston XChange with teammate Jrue Holiday in 2024. The XChange is an incubator that each year provides $100,000 in funding, as well as transformative resources, to ten businesses led by entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. The XChange just finished accepting applications for its second cohort.
Among those businesses is the Future Masters Chess Academy, a chess program aimed at supporting underserved youth across the state. Brown met Lawyer Times, the academy’s founder and a lifelong chess player, a decade ago, and they hit it off due to their mutual love for the game.
“We talked about our missions and our vision – and they aligned,” Times told CelticsBlog. “He wants young people, especially from underrepresented communities, to use their minds, not just to be thought of as athletes.”
The Academy has received so much support and investment from Boston XChange that Times was able to retire from his job at the U.S. Post Office after 40 years.
Last year, Brown hosted the chess academy – alongside the nine other first-year grant recipients – for an intimate dinner at his apartment. They sat at family-style tables, and Brown spent all evening getting to know each of the entrepreneurs on a personal level.
“It was phenomenal – just being right there, talking to him once again, talking about our mission,” Times said. “His mind is so next level. And he was telling me about how this is an opportunity right now to really change the narrative in so many ways.”
When I attended the Bridge program last summer, Jaylen Brown explained to me that he had been working hard to ensure that all of his philanthropic endeavors could be self-sustaining without him. And, though the majority of his free time was spent in the gym, rehabbing from knee surgery and working on his game, Brown felt his most important contributions to Boston came far from the court.
“Yeah, I play for the Celtics,” Brown said. “Yeah, I started businesses here. But I’ve also been in the community. I’ve been in the Boys and Girls Clubs. I’ve connected with people. I spend time. People know me by name because I spend time in the community.”
“Sports are very powerful. But there are other things that are more important.”
The Nets rounded out their center rotation Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year, $19 million deal with Moritz Wagner.
Trading away Nic Claxton had created a glaring hole and elevated the newly re-signed Day’Ron Sharpe to presumptive starter. Now the 29-year-old Wagner will back up — or perhaps platoon with — Sharpe.
The deal — first reported by HoopsHype and confirmed by The Post — is similar to the one agreed to with Keon Ellis the night before, and has a second-year mutual option. In essence, either side can opt in to the deal, trigger the second year and fully guarantee the remaining $9 million. But if both sides opt out, Wagner would become an unrestricted free agent again next summer.
Ellis’ deal provided a defensive-minded guard. Wagner’s pact now provides help on the other end of the floor, though no shot blocking. Rim protection was already an Achilles’ heel for the Nets even with Claxton. Settling on a Sharpe-Wagner tandem makes them worse in that area.
But Nets GM Sean Marks likely looked at the centers available — in both free agency and on the trade market — and made cost-effective signings in Wagner and Sharpe (two years, $20 million), whose contract looks better in light of the inflated center market.
Ex-Knick Mitchell Robinson was likely the only shot-blocker available to them, but he inked with a contender in Boston while the Nets are rebuilding. Walker Kessler ($32.5 million annual salary), Robinson ($15.8 million), Jock Landale ($14 million) and Sandro Mamukelashvili ($13 million) all signed hefty deals. And Jalen Duren hasn’t even gotten his lucrative contract yet, but will be well paid.
Instead, the Nets went with a cheaper floor-raiser. It does take them out of the running for a max salary slot, but leaves them with just under $25 million in cap space if they structure one of their signings into the room mid-level exception.
That projection doesn’t include the Claxton-Julius Randle swap, which won’t be official until Monday. The Nets could spend that amount, then trade Claxton. They would still have to include another small salary with Claxton to make the salary-matching math work. They’re $917,000 short, per Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron.
Orlando’s signing of Nikola Vucevic essentially ended Wagner’s time with the Magic, and playing alongside his younger brother Franz.
The older Wagner brother averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 11.9 minutes last season, logging 36 appearances after coming back from a torn ACL the prior year.
Wagner had averaged 11.1 points and 4.5 boards in 18.5 minutes over the prior three seasons combined for Orlando, on .560/.329/.802 shooting splits. While certainly not a pure stretch five, he spaces the floor better than Sharpe or Claxton. He brings energy and mobility, though not a hint of rim protection.
Brooklyn will need to either find that at another position — and Randle is set to start at power forward — or compensate by pressuring the ball farther up the court. Neither Sharpe, Wagner nor second-year pro Danny Wolf is a shot-blocker, and the interior defense may suffer.
Brooklyn still has ample cap space and the most tradable future first-round picks in the league. One thing they could do with their cap room is give Michael Porter Jr. a raise for the upcoming season in a renegotiation and extension.
The Nets also have a glut of guards, with Ellis’ skill set not only replacing the departed Ziaire Williams but perhaps making Terance Mann redundant. Could they make a trade to consolidate and add on the wing?
Houston’s Tari Eason and Denver’s Peyton Watson are restricted free agents, with the latter vacationing in France with Porter to celebrate his former Nuggets teammate’s 28th birthday.
And if Orlando ever decides to break up their core with Paolo Banchero and the younger Wagner being a poor fit, having the German star’s older sibling on the roster could be a boon for Brooklyn.
The Boston Celtics offered Jaylen Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks in their trade proposal for Giannis Antetokounmpo. When Milwaukee chose the Miami Heat’s offer instead, the Celtics started aggressively shopping Brown around the league even though he never asked the franchise for a trade. On Wednesday, Boston traded Brown to an Eastern Conference rival in a stunning deal.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Brown for Paul George, a 2031 unprotected first-round draft pick, a 2028 first-round draft pick that could convert to a swap that is more favorable to Boston, and two second round picks, according to Shams Charania. The Sixers weren’t included on our initial list of Brown trade candidates because it was hard to believe Boston would trade him to the team that just knocked them out of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. It really happened.
The Sixers are now in position to compete for the Eastern Conference title if Joel Embiid can stay healthy. The Celtics are taking a step back now to take a step forward later. Let’s grade this trade for both sides.
The Celtics were reportedly asking teams for four first-round picks back for Brown. They settled for a lot less in this package from Philly.
Brown is about to turn 30 years old, and he’s coming off the best season of his career where he earned Second-Team All-NBA honors. He led the Celtics to 56 wins as Jayson Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles, and called it the most satisfying year of his career despite being named 2024 NBA Finals MVP as he helped the Celtics to a championship. Brown never asked out. So, why did the Celtics trade him for what feels like a disappointing package?
The Celtics decided they couldn’t keep the status quo after being eliminated in the first-round of the 2026 playoffs by the Sixers. Brown is owed a ton of money with three years and more than $180 million remaining on his deal. Boston wanted to clear payroll, and they clearly thought this was the time to deal Brown coming off such a productive season.
It’s a stunning decision. Brown and Tatum led the Celtics to the 2024 championship. Why not give them one more year with Tatum back for a full season? Obviously, Brad Stevens didn’t think Boston was good enough to win a championship as presently constructed, and he decided to blow it up. This would make more sense to me if Boston got a better trade package back. Instead, this return is highly underwhelming.
Paul George has two years, $110 million remaining on his deal. His play has fallen off hard the last couple seasons, and it’s hard to envision him matching Brown’s production. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Celtics looked to flip him, too. The 2031 first-round pick is a nice trade chip. Boston will probably try to include that in an offer for a superstar within the next few years. For now, the Celtics are likely to take a step back as other Eastern Conference contenders rise.
Brown is a polarizing player. I called him one of the worst contracts in the league coming into last season. The Celtics were better with him off the floor last season. Still, Brown is one of the most durable and productive stars in the league. He’s really good even if he probably isn’t worth his max contract. This is a really courageous trade for Brad Stevens. I want to like it, but I just don’t think the value coming back is good enough.
Grade: C+
I can’t believe the Sixers pulled this off. New lead executive Mike Gansey is swinging for the fences out of the gate, and he acquired a star in his prime that could push Philly to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Brown joins Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe on the perimeter. Embiid is still in the middle, and the Sixers signed Dean Wade to be their new power forward in free agency. Add in rookie Labaron Philon, forwards Justin Edwards and Dominick Barlow, and center Adem Bona, and the Sixers believe they have an outline of a title team. I think this bench is super weak, and that’s a bad sign because the latest NBA champions have relied quite a bit on depth. There’s still time for the Sixers to make more moves, of course.
This starting five is as good as any in the league on paper. The game isn’t played on paper. It will be fascinating to see how Brown’s game mixes with Maxey’s. Embiid’s health hangs over the whole team, and it’s hard to think he can last for an entire playoff run. Still, the Sixers gave themselves a championship ceiling with this move, and the price wasn’t that high to get it. The biggest risk Philly is taking on is Brown’s contract. I think it’s worth it. The Sixers can push the Knicks and Raptors in the East next season. It’s time for Philly to finally make a deep playoff run.
Grade: A-
The Lakers have been extremely aggressive in free agency this offseason after superstar Luka Dončić relayed his desire for major roster improvements heading into the 2026-27 season.
The free agency period began with several subtractions, primarily the shocking departure of LeBron James. The Lakers also lost other key free agents in sharpshooter Luke Kennard and defensive specialist Marcus Smart.
But general manager Rob Pelinka quickly countered with multiple signings Wednesday headlined by Walker Kessler, who inked a four-year, $130 million deal with LA after the team acquired the center from the Utah Jazz in a trade.
The Lakers also added guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton, as well as forward Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Are those moves enough to put the Lakers into contender status?
Many would argue Pelinka’s job is far from over this offseason, which is concerning given the Lakers’ limited cap space wouldn’t allow the team to make another free agent signing. The team could add a veteran player on a league minimum deal but not much more than that.
Now, the Lakers are being linked to free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga. The 23-year-old player spent the first four seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors before Kuminga was traded to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the 2026 trade deadline.
Kuminga is coming off of a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He shot 46.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Lakers were previously interested in Kuminga earlier this year, and signing the forward is still a possibility.
After multiple signings Wednesday, the Lakers no longer have the financial flexibility to sign Kuminga. But they could do so by waiving Jarred Vanderbilt. The team would need to free up another $7 million in cap space to orchestrate a potential deal, doing so by stretching Vanderbilt’s contract.
Vanderbilt has emerged as a liability on offense, and his injury history has left his Lakers future in doubt. Now, the Lakers have even more of a reason to part ways with the forward.
Signing Kuminga would perhaps complete the Lakers’ offseason, but it remains uncertain whether Pelinka can orchestrate such a deal.
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Given how things were trending this offseason, Jaylen Brown's time in Boston coming to an end is unsurprising. However, few, if any, expected the five-time All-Star to remain in the Atlantic Division. That's what has reportedly happened, with the Celtics sending Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George, two future first-round picks and two future second-round picks.
BLOCKBUSTER: The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/xNcNlIV2mh
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026
Despite Brown coming off the most productive individual season of his NBA career, the Celtics reportedly struggled to drum up interest on the trade market after their failed attempt to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks. So, Brown heads to Philadelphia, with the Celtics receiving four future picks and George's cumbersome contract. Let's look at how this trade will affect fantasy basketball next season.
Jaylen Brown
As noted above, the 2025-26 season was the best of Brown's career in terms of individual production. In 72 games, he either matched or set career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1), while also tallying 1.0 steals and 2.0 three-pointers. Shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 79.5 percent from the foul line, Brown was a second-team All-NBA selection.
However, a big reason for his increased production was the absence of Jayson Tatum, who did not make his 2025-26 debut until March after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Add in the departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford, and there was a greater need for Brown to take over offensively.
In Philadelphia, he'll take on the starting small forward role in a lineup that includes Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. Brown's usage is likely to suffer, and the same may be true for Edgecombe, but the wild card is Embiid's availability.
With the 7-footer having appeared in 39 or fewer games in each of the last three seasons, fantasy managers have to assume that at least one extended absence is in the cards for the former league MVP. That's where players like Brown and Edgecombe may be able to compensate for any decrease in usage they may experience when the 76ers are whole.
Paul George
Two future first-round picks
Two future second-round picks
George's two seasons in Philadelphia were marred by injuries, with the nine-time All-Star appearing in only 78 regular-season games. And his production was not on par with what many fantasy managers and basketball fans expected of him. In 37 games last season, George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 three-pointers while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 82.0 percent from the foul line.
Even with the draft picks received, this is a shocking trade by the Celtics, especially given George's recent injury history and the fact that he turned 36 in May (Brown turns 30 in October).
Wednesday's transaction puts more responsibility on Tatum, who played in 16 regular-season games and missed Game 7 of Boston's first-round series against Philadelphia due to a knee issue. If he goes into next season fully healthy, there may not be too much concern, but the Celtics are taking a major risk.
Derrick White, who has long been a reliable option in category leagues, should also see his fantasy value rise, provided he shoots the ball better than he did last season. Young wings Hugo González and Baylor Scheierman won't be players worth targeting in most drafts, but there may be times when they have added streaming value.
Raphielle Johnson