Boston Celtics owner Bill Chisholm opened up Monday about how hard it was for him personally to approve the trade that sent star player Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, saying the front office had to work to bring him around to the decision.
“The fan in me,” Chisholm said during a joint press conference alongside team president Brad Stevens. “It was really tough. I’m accountable for it. Brad’s accountable to me for it. They came to the conclusion, they convinced me, this was the best way to win. I got there.”
Chisholm pushed back on the idea that the trade has damaged the Celtics’ reputation as a destination for top players — something he called “unacceptable.” Despite widespread criticism of the deal, he remained firm that the organization made the right call.
“We have to be the best. We want to be the best place for players to play,” Chisholm said. “Whether perception becomes reality, we have to deal with that, but that’s not my take on how these things went down.”
According to Stevens, the Celtics explored multiple options before pulling the trigger on the trade. Early conversations included the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, and other teams. Ultimately, Boston moved Brown — a five-time All-Star — to their division rival in exchange for Paul George and multiple draft picks.
“This was all about basically trying to win. I think we have the best front office in the NBA,” Chisholm said. “That’s the mandate, was to win. We’ll spend whatever it takes to do that.”
Stevens acknowledged the trade was a “hard decision” and that it provides no immediate financial relief for the team. He also noted he understands why the move wouldn’t sit well in “many circles.” Analytics specialist Michael Zarren was part of the deliberations.
“It was a really hard call. We understood that coming into it. That’s something you have to consider and weigh,” Stevens said. “You take in every angle and every ounce of information that you have and you put it all together. For me and Mike — and his staff might get mad at me — (analytics) was a small piece of information for me. We did the deal because we got Paul George and we got draft assets.”
Brown, who is 29 years old, responded to the trade on a livestream, saying “things went left” after what he described as positive conversations with the Celtics about his future with the team.
Stevens responded with empathy: “If he feels that way, I’m sorry about that. I really am. As I said, we had a lot of open discussions about here or elsewhere. He and, at least his agent, were well aware of even teams that had the most cursory of interest. That was well-communicated or at least communicated. I’m sorry that he would feel that way.”
Brown had been a standout performer this past season, ranking fourth in the entire league in scoring at 28.7 points per game during the 2025-26 season. He also finished sixth in NBA MVP voting the previous year, largely carrying the offensive load while teammate Jayson Tatum recovered from an Achilles injury.
Stevens also clarified that the trade does not signal any belt-tightening from ownership. The Celtics are still actively looking to add a player using the mid-level exception, which is valued at around $10 million.
George, who entered the league in 2010 with the Indiana Pacers, turned 36 in May. The nine-time All-Star put up 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game last season. However, his durability has been a concern — he has only surpassed 56 games in a season once since 2019, playing 74 games in 2023-24 with the Los Angeles Clippers.
