'Mystified,' Jaylen Brown Trade Reaction Compared to Luka Doncic-Lakers Deal in New Shams Report

People within the NBA reportedly were just as surprised as fans when the news dropped Wednesday that the Boston Celtics agreed to ship Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package headlined by Paul George.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania appeared Thursday on SportsCenter and shed some light on the league-wide reaction to the deal.

"Stunning. Everyone was in shock," Charania said. "Aside from the Luka Dončić trade, I think this trade got the most reaction in terms of people around the league being mystified at the price, but also the fact that the Celtics traded a 29-year-old, about to be 30-year-old come next season, All-NBA player in the prime of his career to a divisional rival for a player that's six, seven years older and who's also on similar max money.

"One less year for Paul George, so the Celtics do get that relief in that third year while Jaylen Brown has three years left and probably is going to be expecting an extension now in Philadelphia, but I think just overall stunned. Not only at the price, but the fact that the Celtics traded him to an in-division, Eastern Conference rival."

Charania reported Wednesday that the Sixers landed Brown in exchange for George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Brown has been named an All-Star in five of the past six seasons and a Second Team All-NBA selection in two of the past four.

He was named both the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP in 2024, and he is coming off the best statistical season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest.

While the Celtics got some draft picks in the deal, the other major piece is George, who is 36 years old and seemingly on the decline from a production standpoint.

George has been limited to 41 games and 37 games, respectively, over the past two seasons, and he is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him average 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.7 three-pointers made and 1.7 steals per game.

Although he is a nine-time All-Star, George's best days appear to be behind him, whereas Brown is still playing his best basketball.

During the 2024-25 season, the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package led by Anthony Davis.

Like George, Davis was one of the top players in the league during his prime, but by the time the trade happened, he was on the decline.

Meanwhile, Dončić was very much in his prime and among the league's biggest stars, and that has continued to be true during his time in L.A., as he led the NBA with 33.5 points per game last season.

The Mavs fired general manager Nico Harrison early last season in an apparent reaction to the Dončić trade, and they traded Davis to the Washington Wizards a few months later.

Trading Brown to a fellow Eastern Conference team in the Sixers has a chance to similarly blow up in the Celtics' face, and if it does, it is fair to wonder if president of basketball operations Brad Stevens' job could be on the line as well.