The NBA trade market has been paralyzed! Here are the best and funniest reactions to the Jaylen Brown-Paul George sensation.
In a shocking trade that no one saw coming, the Celtics traded Brown to the 76ers on Wednesday for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Charania said the Celtics will receive a 2028 first-round pick that can be converted from a first-round pick into a swap that’s better for Boston, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick for Philadelphia, a 2028 second-round pick that’s best for Golden State/Thunder/Milwaukee, and a 2030 second-round pick that’s best for Washington/Portland/Phoenix.
One anonymous general manager even called the deal a “highway robbery.”
“This is highway robbery,” one anonymous general manager told basketball analyst Jeff Goodman. “I don’t know what Brad Stevens is thinking. Celtic will be lucky to be in the play-offs next year.”
“That says everything about the current trade value in Johor Bahru,” another general manager added.
Some of the hottest reactions on Twitter were:
Brad Stevens leaves office after trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George pic.twitter.com/F4fpjuytlF
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 2, 2026
Jaylen Brown called Embiid a loser all summer
Now they are teammates 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/KJOdALmvqa
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) July 1, 2026
76ers trade Paul George for Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/xWFDUGdlFt
—PrizePicks (@PrizePicks) July 1, 2026
Say what you want about “shuffling” Paul George, but going head-to-head with Jaylen Brown, he’s looked like the top point guard for seven straight games. pic.twitter.com/Ro3BQRyhos
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) July 1, 2026
break in:
The NBA has currently traded Paul George for:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Jaylen Brown
Domantas Sabonis
Victor Oladipo
Danilo Gallinariand
7 first round picks plus 4 pick swaps
Paul George is the most valuable player in NBA history.
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) July 1, 2026
Brad Stevens video calls Jaylen Brown to tell him Celtics traded him to Sixers pic.twitter.com/lV7cvawNl6
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) July 1, 2026
Joel Embiid on Jaylen Brown on first day of 76ers training camp pic.twitter.com/IuyyAv47gn
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 2, 2026
Of course, it sounds like the Celtics are just saying they’re not afraid of Jaylen Brown — just like they’ve always said he’s not as important as Jayson Tatum. They just traded Jaylen Brown to a division rival who knocked them out of the playoffs after trailing 3-1. Bad idea, Celtics.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 1, 2026
The 76ers just got better. The Celtics got worse. Philadelphia just welcomed a proactive superstar in Jaylen Brown who has been underrated/underrated. Boston gets an aging Paul George. Philadelphia >>> Boston.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 1, 2026
Some further reactions from Celtics fans at WCVB
“I think Jaylen Brown, what he’s done for this city, for the people, for this franchise, bringing a Finals MVP is everything, and then trading him for Paul George — I don’t know about that. It’s really disappointing,” Revere’s Angelo Sepe said.
“We all hate the Sixers,” North Reading’s Ivan Deiko said. “This is probably the worst team he could have gone to — like, we’re up 3-1. It’s horrible. It’s a really bad day.”
READ MORE: Jaylen Brown heads to Philadelphia in blockbuster trade
