So Jaylen Brown is a Philadelphia Sixer and we have to accept it. Sixer fans hold strong, but delete everything you’ve ever had to say about him. I’m just kidding, there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and Brown can’t take back anything he has said publicly about Joel Embiid or the Sixers. After all it is a rivalry and he plays a great heel.
On Wednesday, I saw the notification that Jaylen Brown was traded to Philadelphia… and that’s all I saw due to spotty service. I was met with shock.
There’s no way that another Boston-Philadelphia trade happened with a disgruntled star player that’s 29 years old, in the prime of their careers and has the last name Brown had been dealt again. But it did happen. The Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Paul George’s Sixer Legacy
I was a hater when the Sixers first acquired Paul George. His playoff history, I am on his side though, that was a bad shot. But like what Kevin Durant is to the few fans of the Brooklyn Nets, that’s how I feel Paul George will be remembered in Philadelphia. He wasn’t a distraction, even with his suspension and he showed up against the Celtics in the playoffs. Not only that, but the team got out of his contract before things could’ve inevitably gotten worse, relying on an often injured 36 year old player paired with Joel Embiid, who seems to have a voodoo curse against him with the injuries he sustains, along with his already aged knees.
What does this mean for the Sixers? The New York Knicks just won their first championship in 53 years. They swept the Sixers on their way to it. The Boston Celtics, and it seems as if many teams around the league, along with making decisions about the second apron, have decided to shake things up.
For Boston, this was a long time coming. The trade rumors around Brown have been happening since before their first finals against the Warriors. Questions around the team have always been, can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown co-exist and win a championship? They did. Brown even won Finals MVP.
But that still wasn’t enough for the media, especially after Boston lost to New York in the second round of the playoffs last season and Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon during that series.
This trade was made by the Sixers to get out of the second round. To go somewhere that Joel Embiid hasn’t been. With his body, it’s hard to see that he’ll have many other opportunities outside of these next two seasons. A player of Jaylen Brown’s skill level paired with Maxey and Edgecombe could help elevate this team and take them to where no Sixers team has been since the 2000-2001 season.
The Sixers also drafted Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama. If things pan out, Philon Jr. is a good role player, who seems as though he can quickly add points off the bench and makes good playmaking decisions. They also signed Anfernee Simons, who is a bit of the same, consistent three point shooter, who can get hot and add that much needed spark towards the second unit.
The biggest move outside of Brown, was signing Dean Wade. He’s a 36% three-point shooter and is a strong defender standing at 6’9”. Wade is a player that I view as a championship level piece. A guy who does the dirty work and takes pride in his defensive efforts. At times it seemed like he was the only one trying when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Who Joined the Sixers?
Today – the Sixers have also signed Caleb Love, a young Guard who averaged 10 points a game last year for the Trail Blazers.
Love isn’t the only former Blazer joining the Sixers, Anfernee Simons spent 2018-2025 progressing steadily in Portland and also joins the Sixers backcourt depth.
Young Knicks Center, Ariel Hukporti spent the last three years behind Mitchell Robinson and Karl Anthony-Towns. Now Hukporti will step back into that roll behind Bona and Embiid.
The Sixers also signed Rayan Rubert, a young French guard with an absurd wingspan – who spent last season in Memphis to a two-way contract.
Is this trade and the other pieces the Sixers have added enough to put them over the top soon? It remains to be seen, but the Eastern Conference has been shaken up so far this summer. The Charlotte Hornets have parted ways with both Lamelo Ball and Miles Bridges, sending them out West. The Miami Heat acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo, but still seem to have missing parts towards their roster. The Detroit Pistons appear to be at a crossroads with Jalen Duren, and historically, these seem to go the way things went with Jaylen Brown. The Indiana Pacers will have Haliburton back. And the Toronto Raptors got Kawhi Leonard back in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers (I understand you Kawhi, I also had a run in with the government. I too would want to get out of the country) Meanwhile the New York Knicks are for the most part still together. The Knicks are the only team that, barring injury, seem to be the real threat in the East.
What do we know? Winning a championship is very difficult. Staying healthy for an entire season after winning one is also difficult. Jaylen Brown, despite analytics saying he’s the 7th best player on the Celtics, and that Derrick White is more valuable to them – I’m not against analytics – but Brown is a proven winner in this league. He’s had six Eastern Conference Finals appearances in his career and two NBA Finals appearances. He’s been disrespected, he’s coming to a city that always feels they chip on their shoulder. He’s coming to a team that watched the Knicks and the Celtics win championships. This may be their last chance with Embiid at least on the roster. Looking forward to the 2026-2027 NBA season. Brown will thrive here.
And… things are getting pretty interesting with Lebron, huh?
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