Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Brad Stevens reshaped the Celtics roster by sending out Jaylen Brown for Paul George and a haul of draft picks.
- The new lineup pairs an aging All-Star — Paul George — with Jayson Tatum.
- The deal sacrifices immediate talent for future assets, putting pressure on young players to step up this season.
Brad Stevens promised to take a critical look at the Boston Celtics roster after they bowed out of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It's safe to say he did not love what he saw. His decision to shake up his roster by shipping Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George is a clear signal that he wanted to shake up his roster ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
The Celtics were able to secure a hefty haul of draft assets in the trade, but George and Brown were the only current players involved. That puts immediate pressure on George to help his new team maintain their place among the Eastern Conference elite.
The good news for George is that he now gets an opportunity to play in the same frontcourt as Jayson Tatum. The rest of the starting five features a few more questions, but head coach Joe Mazzulla has plenty of options at his disposal. The bench will need to play at a high level to help the Celtics win the East, but the starting five will be led by Tatum and at least two newcomers.
Projected Boston Celtics starting lineup and rotation
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
Derrick White | PG | Payton Pritchard, Mike Conley |
Hugo Gonzalez | SG | Bailey Scheierman, Ron Harper |
Paul George | SF | Sam Hauser |
Jayson Tatum | PF | Jordan Walsh |
Mitchell Robinson | C | Neemias Queta, Luke Garza |
Boston's frontcourt will look very different with George and Mitchell Robinson in the fold. George slots comfortably into his natural small forward spot in Mazzulla's starting 5. It will be interesting to see how many on-ball reps he gets with Tatum as his running mate. Staggering the two might make sense to make sure both high-volume guys get enough shot attempts.
Signing Robinson gives the Celtics a more conventional big man to anchor their defense than they've employed in recent seasons. If healthy, he's a plus shot blocker and rebounder at the center position. Robinson is not going to be a switch guy for Mazzulla on the interior. Expect Boston to play more drop coverage when he's on the floor.
Derrick White returns as the starting point guard,, and officials in Boston will hope he continues his exemplary play as he starts to get a little long in the tooth. He'll need to hit his three with a bit more consistency to make up for the loss of Brown on the wing. Payton Pritchard will get plenty of minutes too, and Mike Conley gives the Celtics a nice insurance policy when their other options aren't clicking.
Plenty of Celtics fans want to see Bailey Scheierman get the nod as the starting two, but there's something about Hugo Gonzalez's game that just inspires more confidence with the first group. Either way, both guys are going to get lots of minutes over the course of the regular season. Ron Harper Jr. and Sam Hauser will both be counted on to play significant minutes with the bench group.
Are the Celtics better after the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade?
Celtics fans need to come to grips with the ugly truth that this trade is more of an asset play than a basketball transaction. George is a good fit for their group, but Brown is the better player. Absent an unexpected step up from one of Boston's young players they will be a weaker team than they would have been with Brown in the fold.
The upside to this deal is the draft assets the Celtics received from Philadelphia. Those picks give Stevens and the front office a lot of flexibility to add talent in the future. Don't be surprised if some of that draft kitty is leveraged to improve this team via an in-season trade. The Celtics aren't as good today as they were yesterday, but there's plenty of time for them to change that reality before the playoffs arrive.
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