Through the first 24 hours of NBA free agency, the biggest moves the Philadelphia 76ers made were reportedly signing Dean Wade (four-year, $39 million deal) and Ariel Hukporti (one-year, $3.4 million deal) to bolster the frontcourt. However, that was until Wednesday evening, when the Sixers made a seismic move to acquire multiple-time All-Star wing Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Sixers traded Paul George and a cavalcade of draft picks (two first-round and two second-round selections) to the Celtics in exchange for Brown.

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY reports that the 2028 first-round pick could convert from a first to a swap more favorable to Boston, a 2031 first-round pick from the Sixers (unprotected), a 2028 second-round pick that’s more favorable between Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Milwaukee, and a 2030 second-round pick that’s more favorable between Washington, Portland, and Phoenix.

Brown is joining a Sixers squad that has an exciting young backcourt in Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, along with one of the best big men in the league when healthy in Joel Embiid. The two-way All-Star wing will now slide in at small forward, giving the Sixers one of the more potent offenses in the NBA.

This past season with the Celtics, Brown took his game to new heights as Boston awaited Jayson Tatum’s return from his torn Achilles. The veteran wing played at an MVP level and was a huge reason why Boston finished second in the East.

The 29-year-old two-way wing averaged career-highs across the board in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9), and assists (5.1). He did this while shooting 47.7% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc on 5.7 attempts per game.

The Sixers are getting a bona fide 20-plus-point-per-game scorer who can defend multiple positions on the floor and is several years younger than George (36). The Paul George experience in Philly had its ups and downs, as the Sixers hoped the veteran wing could help them get out of the second round.

That didn’t happen in his two years with the club, but it was good to see vintage George on both ends of the floor in the first round against the Celtics.

However, where the Sixers are going, Brown fits the timeline better, and financially, the contracts aren’t that far off (h/t Keith Smith of Spotrac).

The Celtics save about $2.9M this season by trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George.Brown's remaining contract:26-27: $57.1M27-28: $61.0M28-29: $64.9MGeorge's remaining contract:26-27: $54.1M27-28: $56.6M (player option)

— KeithSmithNBA (@keithsmithnba.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T22:21:11.075Z

Now, when it comes to the draft capital the Sixers had to attach to George, it is a sizable haul, but no one knows what the NBA or the team will look like in 2028 or 2031. For Philadelphia and new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, they felt like it was the perfect time to strike to add one of the top-15/20 best players in the league to a team that has struggled to get out of the second round for years.

That being said, the next step for Gansey will be to fill out the rest of this roster with quality depth pieces to support the starters, which could put them firmly back in the conversation in the Eastern Conference.

Grade: A