Trey Murphy or 3 trades the Celtics can make to heal the Jaylen Brown wound

The Boston Celtics shocked the basketball world with their decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, their foremost divison rivals, in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Brown was the 2024 Finals MVP, and he finished this past season on the All-NBA second team. To trade him at his lowest value, to the Sixers of all teams, came as a deep wound to many Celtics fans.

This trade is not as disastrous as it has been made out to be in certain NBA circles, but George is seven years older than Brown and considerably less durable. It feels to many like a betrayal of a franchise icon. That said, the Celtics still figure to contend next season with a full-strength Jayson Tatum, and top exec Brad Stevens can improve those odds with aggression elsewhere on the trade market. Here are a few realistic options.

Celtics trade package for Trey Murphy III

The Celtics could wrap Trey Murphy III into their $27 traded player exception (TPE) and avoid sending out or taking on additional salary. In reality, however, Boston is $5.1 million below the first apron hard cap, and Stevens has spent the last year dancing carefully around the CBA's new tax penalties, so the Celtics probably won't take on Murphy's salary outright.

To make it cleaner financially, the Celtics attach two first-round picks to Paul George — unprotected in 2031 and 2033 — and take on Dejounte Murray's $32.7 million contract, which also includes a player option for 2027-28 that he will almost certainly exercise. Boston can attach more draft capital to swap out Murray's weighty deal for Jordan Poole's $34 million expiring contract instead, but there's more (potential) return on investment if Murray can get healthy and reclaim any of his past value. Poole is not playing real minutes for the Celtics next season.

Murphy occupies one of the NBA's best value contracts, unlike Brown. He's a knockdown shooter and a rangy defender who has made substantial strides with his ability to attack downhill. The Pelicans add two distant first-round picks and swap out two years of Murray for two years of Paul George. The latter is on a significantly more cumbersome contract, but George is the better player and he could return more value in a future trade if he plays well in New Orleans. In theory, George is a strong complement to Zion Williamson, Derik Queen and the Pelicans' younger core.

The Celtics probably do not want Murray, but he's still a starting-caliber point guard when healthy. If he can rediscover his past defensive form in a more competitive environment, paired with Derrick White in the backcourt, this deal could look even better for Boston down the line.

Celtics trade package for Jrue Holiday

A similar framework, this time reuniting Jrue Holiday with Tatum and White. Holiday won a championship in Boston and was critical to their historic success in 2024. The Celtics dumped him for salary purposes but could find a reason to bring him back now, fortifying their perimeter defense and adding another playmaking valve in the backcourt.

The Celtics also acquire the $13 million expiring contract of former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, who erupted in Portland's first-round loss to San Antonio. Henderson would be hard-pressed for minutes with Holiday, White and Payton Pritchard all on Boston's roster, but he's a useful salary chip and potential trade piece. Boston also saves significant money next season if Henderson does not re-sign. If he does, that means he is providing value on the floor.

Holiday, not unlike George, is past his prime and under contract for two more seasons. But he's making roughly $20 million less annually and he has proven much more durable over the past few years. There is also the built-in chemistry aspect; Holiday knows Joe Mazzulla's schemes and he knows his teammates in Boston.

Portland has no clear interest in adding an expensive star like George, but he'd solidify their wing rotation and help alleviate the current backcourt logjam, opening up more minutes for Damian Lillard and Shaedon Sharpe next to Ja Morant. George is a strong fit in Portland and, if healthy, he'd make the Blazers a real second- or third-tier contender in the West.

Celtics trade package for Michael Porter Jr.

There was an undeniable financial angle to Boston's decision to offload Brown. But George is still under contract for two more years. In Michael Porter Jr., the Celtics could acquire a younger, healthier wing on a $40 million expiring contract, which really frees up the cap sheet next summer.

George's contract is viewed in a negative light. The Sixers were reportedly hoping to attach a first-round pick to dump his contract before the Celtics accepted their offer for Brown. So this brings the net outcome of this trade to Michael Porter Jr., two first-round picks and two second-round picks coming in, with Brown and a distant future first-round pick going out. Not exactly satisfying for the average Celtics fan, but perhaps better for Boston's long-term plans.

Porter was more valuable in the regular season than George this past season. He was available; the chronic back issues that once plagued Porter are no longer front of mind. He's a very Mazzulla-coded player: Porter will bomb 3s at 6-foot-10, and he made important strides on defense under Jordi Fernandez in Brooklyn. The hope would be that Mazzulla can sustain that growth in Boston.

For Brooklyn, this is a chance to further stockpile assets while also avoiding uncomfortable extension talks with Porter, who has never felt like a long-term piece. George is under contract for an extra year — and at higher AAV — but if he's healthy, his defense and scoring gravity would really help Brooklyn. He's a strong complement to Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. Moreover, if George stays on the floor and plays like he did for Philadelphia last season, Brooklyn could flip him next summer as an expiring contract and get even more draft capital.

Celtics trade package for Kevin Durant

With the Rockets reportedly open to trading Kevin Durant, there was always some merit to the idea of a Durant-for-Jaylen Brown swap. The latter played under Ime Udoka in Boston and fits the timeline with Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson. That is not the case with Paul George, but there's still the potential for a deal here.

Durant is basically under contract for two more years, but unlike George, there's a nonzero chance he opts out of his player option after this season. Houston takes back George's contract and replaces Durant with another veteran All-Star on the wing. George is not on Durant's level offensively these days, but he fits Udoka's defense-first mentality. The Rockets need guys (other than Thompson) who can consistently generate stops. Houston also addresses its spacing deficiency with Sam Hauser, a true sharpshooter.

For the Celtics, Durant is a Mazzulla-friendly star who can still reach uncommon heights offensively. Between KD and Tatum, Boston would have no shortage of 3-point volume and playmaking on the wing. Both are absolute killers late in games, able to grind out possessions and create from scratch when the shot clock approaches zero.

Why Houston does this deal, beyond acquiring an extra first-round pick, is the chance to get off of the remaining four years on Jabari Smith Jr.'s five-year, $122 million contract. Smith, a former No. 3 overall pick, still has broad appeal as a help-side rim protector and a floor-spacing power forward, but Houston has performed better with him off the floor in three out of four seasons to date.

The Celtics bite the bullet on Smith's iffy contract — which is still far less burdensome than either Brown or George's contract — for the chance to take a swing on the Durant and Tatum partnership. If Smith can blossom under Mazzulla's leadership, buoyed by a long-overdue change of scenery, this trade becomes even better. Smith is still 23 years old, so he's not a sunk cost yet.

More NBA news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow