Celtics acquire Paul George in trade sending Jaylen Brown to 76ers

The Celtics and 76ers completed a trade on Wednesday that sends Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia and brings Paul George to Boston along with several draft picks. George, 36, averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game across 16 seasons and has never reached the NBA Finals.

George has been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, six All-NBA teams, and four NBA All-Defensive teams. He won the league's Most Improved Player award in 2013 and earned a gold medal with the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has appeared in 21 playoff series across 12 postseason trips, yet his teams hold a 9-12 series record and have not advanced past the conference finals.

George suffered a compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg during a 2014 Team USA scrimmage. Since the 2019-20 season he has played more than 56 regular-season games in only one campaign. A 25-game suspension last season for a failed drug test, which George attributed to a mental health issue, further limited his availability.

George was previously at the center of a major deal on July 10, 2019, when he was sent from the Thunder to the Clippers along with a first-round pick in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

Philadelphia receives a forward who can increase scoring when its center is unavailable, serve as a secondary playmaker, and supply perimeter defense. Boston added center Mitchell Robinson and kept the remainder of its roster after the exchange. The team finished 56-26 last season even though its star forward appeared in only 16 games while recovering from a torn Achilles.