The Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown trade had unintended consequences

Adam Taylor, Celtics WireSat, July 25, 2026 at 11:12 PM UTC·2 min read

From the moment LeBron James opted to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics fanbase was side-eyeing Brad Stevens. Just weeks earlier, Stevens and the Celtics' front office had signed off on a move that sent Brown to Philadelphia in return for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Almost immediately, there was a belief among the Celtics fan base that Brown's presence on the Sixers roster acted as a catalyst for LeBron choosing Philadelphia as the final stop in what has been a storied career. Unfortunately for the Celtics, ESPN's Shams Charania later confirmed that theory, noting that the Sixers only hit LeBron's radar after the Brown trade had been finalized.

“Jaylen Brown, the moment he got traded to the Sixers from Boston a couple of days into free agency, the Sixers came onto LeBron James’ radar," Charania said on a July 24 episode of SportsCenter. "Now they have landed LeBron James on a two-year minimum contract to try to win a championship in the East.”

Whatever the reason for LeBron's latest decision, the fact remains that Boston must now face two behemoths in the Eastern Conference. Both the New York Knicks and Sixers project to be the dominant forces out East for the upcoming campaign.

While Stevens' decision to send Brown to Philadelphia may have created a knock-on effect that ultimately gave the Sixers the desirability that drew LeBron, it was undoubtedly not his intention to facilitate another superteam.

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Nevertheless, the Celtics will now be under even more pressure to show improvements next season, as Celtics fans look for proof that trading Brown was in the team's best interests from an on-court production standpoint.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown trade had unintended consequences