The Boston Celtics have made the Jaylen Brown-for-Paul George swap official. Many wondered if perhaps the Celtics planned to expand the swap between when the deal was agreed upon and when it was finalized. They didn't, and Brad Stevens pretty much confirmed in the press release that George isn't going anywhere.
When the Celtics made it official, Stevens had this to say in the press release: "Paul George has been one of the best two-way wings of the last decade in the NBA and can easily fit into any group. He's looking forward to joining the Celtics, and we're excited to welcome him and his family."
The Jaylen Brown trade is official, per Celtics: pic.twitter.com/JJJVwvh8Mw
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) July 6, 2026
That definitely sounds like George will be Boston's opening night roster, come what may. Typically when Stevens (or really any executive for that matter) acquires a player they have no intention of having around, they don't comment on it. He didn't do that with George, which basically confirms the obvious.
Stevens openly welcoming George is pretty much confirmation that the Celtics won't send him anywhere else. At least, not right away The only exception being is if they get an offer they couldn't refuse. Well, if they couldn't get one for Brown (they definitely didn't), the odds of them getting one for George are even lower.
Not only did Stevens basically confirm the Celtics are keeping the nine-time All-Star, but praised him, which signals that they are even looking forward to this new chapter.
Boston can trade George, but there are limitations
Technically speaking, George still is trade eligible. While Boston can trade him, they can't aggregate him with anyone else for two months. He's on an expensive deal but it's not as much of an albatross as it was when Philadelphia first signed him two years ago. Keep in mind that he still has a trade kicker, which is a major turnoff in the event that anyone truly is interested.
Many Celtics fans have still been dreaming of Trey Murphy III, and the George trade would give them the draft assets they can send to appease New Orleans. However, the Pelicans may not be too keen on getting George. Again, if they didn't want Brown, they likely won't want George.
The biggest headline is that the Jays era is officially over, and now starts the Tatum-George era, even if it likely won't be nearly as long. That would have been more exciting in 2020, but even if George is declining and injury-prone, he deserves a fair shot in Boston.
If Stevens is excited to welcome him as a Celtic, so should everyone else.
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