New NBA Rumors on Paul George's Celtics Future After Jaylen Brown Trade, Team's Stance on Return

Even though very few people outside of the organization are enthused by their trade for Paul George, Boston Celtics officials are enthusiastic about the possibilities they have given themselves following the deal.

Per The Athletic's Jay King and Sam Amick, the Celtics don't have a subsequent trade lined up with George still under contract for two more seasons.

"Though some NBA observers were left wondering if the Celtics had a subsequent move lined up, don't expect another shoe to drop," King and Amick wrote. "George only has two more years left on his contract, one fewer than Brown, but a league source also said the trade was not driven by finances."

The report also states the Celtics feel the four picks they are getting back from the Philadelphia 76ers "should all be valuable" either for them to use or to package in a potential future trade:

"The Celtics believe that the four picks they received in the trade, including two second-rounders, should all be valuable whether they keep them or use them in a future trade, according to a league source, who, like others in this article, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations."

The full deal between the Sixers and Celtics has Brown going to Philadelphia, while George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks will come back to Boston.

The first of those two second-round picks is in 2028, but it has various protections that make it impossible to predict where it might fall when it conveys.

A 2031 unprotected first-rounder from the Sixers does figure to be valuable for Boston. Assuming the core of Philadelphia's roster stays the same over the next five years, Brown will be 34 and Tyrese Maxey will be 30.

Joel Embiid, who would be 37 by the time of the 2031 draft, could be long gone since his current contract expires after the 2028-29 season if he exercises his $67.3 million player option.

The Celtics could also be betting on Philadelphia not being able to retain the core of Brown, Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe for that long because of the cap and apron constraints that could come if all three players maintain max-contract status. Or in Edgecombe's case, reaches max-contract status when he becomes eligible for an extension in two years.

Even though there's no indication the Celtics were financially motivated right now to make this move, it does help their future flexibility because George has two years remaining on his current deal if he opts into his 2027-28 salary compared to Brown who has three guaranteed years left on his contract.

These are all potential high-risk bets the Celtics are making, but their history suggests they warrant some benefit of the doubt. They haven't really had a sustained fallow period this century.

The Celtics' longest playoff drought since the 2000-01 season was two years from 2005 to '07. They have made the postseason in 12 consecutive seasons, with six Conference Finals appearances and one NBA title during that period.