Source: Jaylen Brown traded to the Sixers for Paul George and four picks

The 76ers have officially entered the summer of blockbuster trades.

They agreed to acquire All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-round draft picks, The Inquirer confirmed Wednesday evening.

From the Sixers’ perspective, it is a stunning move for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey to pull off in his first offseason. George’s max contract — still with two years and more than $110 million remaining — was considered difficult to trade given his age and injury history.

But the Celtics clearly were motivated to move Brown, who finished sixth in last season’s voting for NBA Most Valuable Player and had spent his entire 10-year career with the franchise.

» READ MORE: NBA free agency: Sixers make blockbuster trade to acquire Jaylen Brown, send Paul George to Celtics

Boston reportedly offered Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, before the Bucks instead sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. On social media and his popular Twitch streams, Brown publicly expressed displeasure with his name being dangled in trade talks and defended his career accomplishments.

So the Sixers have swapped out one three-star roster construction for another, linking Brown with All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey and former MVP Joel Embiid. Brown has three years and approximately $183 million remaining on his supermax contract. But he is 29 years, played in 71 games in 2025-26, and is an elite attacker and shot-maker coming off his best individual season.

Brown, a five-time All-Star, created an excellent wing tandem with Jayson Tatum that propelled Boston to the 2024 championship and the Finals MVP award that year. Last season, he became the bona fide No. 1 offensive option while Tatum recovered from Achilles surgery, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists to spearhead the Celtics’ surprise 56-win season to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference. He called it his “favorite” season on Twitch, drawing criticism — or, at least, eyebrow raises — from some outsiders wondering if that was a swipe at his role (or partnership with Tatum) or why he valued a disappointing first-round exit more than a title run.

Such every-night responsibility will not necessarily be the case with the Sixers, given Embiid and Maxey both have experience as the team’s offensive centerpiece. Yet it is a seismic win-now swing in an Eastern Conference race already boasting the defending-champion New York Knicks — and that has already been revamped with significant trades in recent days.

After Antetokounmpo was moved the night before the NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors agreed to re-acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday. Elsewhere, LaMelo Ball was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Ja Morant was dealt from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers.

In the deal, the Sixers lose George, a former perennial All-Star and their splashy free-agent signing in 2024.

» READ MORE: Kelly Oubre Jr. reportedly agrees to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Indiana Pacers

But George was hampered by multiple injuries his first season as a Sixer, and then last season was suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. He finished 2025-26 strong on both ends of the floor — including in the Sixers’ rally to upset the Celtics in the playoffs’ first round — and said he was looking forward to focusing on basketball training this offseason.

Free agency began quietly for the Sixers, with forward Dean Wade agreeing to sign a four-year, $39 million contract late Tuesday, The Inquirer confirmed. Things picked up Wednesday, when reserve center Ariel Hukporti agreed to a one-year deal, The Inquirer confirmed, and Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes reportedly agreed to leave the Sixers to sign with the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.

Then came the stunning blockbuster trade, making Brown a Sixer.