Early reactions to the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade: ‘The East offseason is crazy’
From sad Celtics fans to athletes and even sportsbooks weighing in, there were plenty of takes floating around in the wake of the Sixers and Celtics blockbuster on Wednesday.
The 76ers coming back to beat the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs after being down three games to one seemed like the most exciting thing that would happen between the teams this year.
Until Wednesday.
The Sixers traded Paul George, two first-round draft picks, and two second-rounders to the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown on Day 2 of free agency, and social media has a lot to say.
» READ MORE: The Sixers just turned Paul George into Jaylen Brown and transformed themselves for an unbelievable price
Here is how fans, experts, players, and even some sportsbooks are reacting to the trade:
The early favorite
From fans to experts, the consensus on social media is that the Sixers got more than they gave in acquiring Brown.
Even some sportsbooks like BetMGM, Caesars, and Fliff are reacting to the trade and calling Boston’s side of the deal lackluster.
Showing some Brotherly Love
The trade didn’t just have fans and media talking. Other Sixers and figures with Philly ties have shared their thoughts on the newest addition to the roster.
While Tyrese Maxey took to X to react, fellow Sixers VJ Edgecombe and Jabari Walker reposted the news on their Instagram stories with Walker captioning the story “scary sight.”
» READ MORE: The Sixers just transformed themselves for an unbelievable price | David Murphy
And despite their current New York ties, Abdul Carter and Josh Hart shared their thoughts on the acquisition — and the NBA offseason at large. Carter is a Philadelphia native and Penn State product who’s now an edge rusher for the New York Giants while Hart is a former Villanova star who’s now a New York Knick.
With love from Boston
Some Celtics fans took to social media to express appreciation for Brown’s time in Boston, especially for leading them to an NBA championship, for which he was named Finals MVP in 2024.
Others seemingly still are having trouble processing the trade.
Interesting team dynamics
Brown and Jayson Tatum being split up opens the door to a George and Tatum duo, which a few people on social media seem to be excited about.
Others find it more detrimental to Tatum’s career.
And in Philly, fans are looking forward to seeing the connection between Joel Embiid and Brown following some of the comments Brown made regarding Embiid and his “flopping” after the Game 7 matchup between Boston and the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs this season.