Jaylen Brown still processing how he became a former Boston Celtic after stunning trade with 76ers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaylen Brown said he was still processing how the trade agreement went down that will send the former Boston Celtics star to one of its most storied rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season — is getting traded by the Celtics to the Sixers, a person with knowledge of the deal’s terms said Wednesday.

Boston is getting Paul George, along with a slew of draft capital that could become two first-round picks and two second-round picks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade does not yet have the required league approvals.

“I’m still processing how this all went down,” Brown wrote on social media Thursday. “I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.

The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me.”

Jayson Tatum missed most of this past season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs, meaning Brown had to carry even more of the load for Boston — and he wound up with career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

It seemed, though, that Brown has felt underappreciated, especially after it became known that Boston had included him in trade talks with Milwaukee when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the market.

“Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something,” Brown wrote.

The Sixers have another star to pair with two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid — and the true franchise cornerstones in All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and second-year standout VJ Edgecombe — after new team president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off a whale of a move in his first month on the job.

“I’m excited for what’s ahead and grateful for the opportunity to join Philadelphia,” Brown wrote. “Every city has its own identity, its own passion, and its own expectation. I respect that, and I’m looking forward to earning that respect the only way I know how, through the work.

“Philly — throw the ball up let’s get it!”

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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