Everything Celtics' Brad Stevens Said About Jaylen Brown, Paul George Trade with 76ers

When the Boston Celtics made the decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for Paul George and picks, all eyes turned to president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

Stevens addressed the media for the first time since the trade on Monday, starting things off by thanking Brown for his time in Boston.

"We want to first, before we do anything else, take a moment to thank Jaylen, not only for all that he did on the court but just as much for all of the incredible impact he's had off the court," Stevens told reporters.

Stevens also made it clear that Jayson Tatum was not consulted on the trade:

Stevens also gave his thoughts on George as a player.

"I'll start off by saying we like Paul [George]. Paul is a very good player, he said. "Watching Paul [in playoffs] be a guy that could carry you for portions of a quarter or a half. But also play a complementary role on both ends at highest level."

Ultimately, Stevens explained that the decision was made from a financial standpoint since Brown's contract made it a bit more difficult to build a competitive roster.

"The path looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players," he said.

Considering Brown just had an MVP-caliber season, the decision to trade him came as a bit of a surprise to many. The fact that the Celtics traded him for George after previously engaging in talks about Giannis Antetokounmpo stunned the NBA world.

"We are not up here to defend our decision which will certainly be scrutinized but more so dealing with the emotions of Jaylen not being here," Stevens said.

Stevens added that he didn't feel like he had to trade Brown after missing out on Antetokounmpo, noting that his and Brown's relationship is not beyond repair.

"It was a really hard call. I am not saying it was the right call," Stevens said. "We wanted to stay good and wanted to add more optionality."

There was plenty of discourse surrounding Brown's analytics ahead of the trade, but Stevens clarified that it was a "small piece" of the logic in trading him.

While Stevens explained that it was a financial decision, it's worth noting that George has a cap hit of $57.7 million this season and a player option worth $56.5 million next season. Brown is due $57.7 million this season, $61.6 million next season and $65.6 million in 2028-29.

George's contract is slightly more cap-friendly, but it's hard to argue that he's worth what he'll make over the next two years.

The Celtics were able to get some future assets in the draft picks, which Stevens said is important given the position Boston is in.

"It's a move to keep us at a very competitive level and give us optionality moving forward," he said.

The trade could work out well for the Celtics long-term as they gain a bit of flexibility without Brown's contract, but the question is whether Boston will be able to remain a contender in the short term.

"We'll find out," Stevens said.