CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off the first real shocking move of the offseason with the addition of Jaylen Brown from the rival Boston Celtics. The Sixers acquired the 5-time All-Star in exchange for Paul George and a slew of picks in order to upgrade the roster for the future.
Brown is coming off a phenomenal season in which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He threw the Celtics on his back in what was supposed to be a "gap year" in the midst of the Jayson Tatum injury and he stepped up in a big way for that Celtics group.
As he now moves on to the Sixers, he will be joining a team that features Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and LeBron James as he moves forward with his next chapter.
"I think my
initial reaction was just like it's just hard," Maxey said of the trade. "Like, it's just crazy. You know what I’m saying? There’s division rivals. I see him, I feel like 12 times a year. Honestly, like we played the Celtics at least seven to eight times every season, and for him to be on our side, you gotta kind of gotta reframe, reprogram your mind to be cool with him. You know what I'm saying? Every time we stepped in between the lines, I didn't really mess with Jaylen. It was all smoke. I wanted to beat him every single time. So, now he'll be on our side."
Brown has mentioned in the past that it's something similar. He was taught to always despise the Sixers and the city of Philadelphia. He will now have to change his thought process as well, so Maxey and Co. will continue to help him make that transition and look to get him up to speed.
"It's welcoming with open arms," Maxey added. "I know my first text message to him was like, I know a lot's going on. Hey, hit me if you need anything. Like, he's a great guy. He's gonna be great for our community as well. How I envision him on the basketball court, is he's a special talent, special talent. I feel like he's been talking about being a defensive monster this year. He wants to really, really, really compete defensively. I know he'll do that. He takes a lot of challenges. I've seen him guard me. I've seen him guard Joel. I've seen him guard wings. We're definitely gonna need him on that end, and then offensively, you know what he brings to the table."
For somebody like Edgecombe, this is the first time in his young career that he has dealt with a major change. The young guard built a strong relationship with George as the veteran took him under his wing to teach him everything he needs to know. It was a bittersweet moment for him as he now welcomes Brown to Philadelphia.
"It was kind of bittersweet," Edgecombe admitted. "Obviously, like you said, me and PG relationship is strong and it's still strong to this day. PG helped me a lot. He helped me a lot, and now I feel like JB is also gonna help me a lot. Obviously, they're two different people, two different styles of play. I'm just looking forward to building my relationship with JB. We're pretty cool now."
VJ Edgecombe on his emotions of seeing Paul George go to the Celtics in the Jaylen Brown trade: “It was kinda bittersweet…me and PG’s relationship is strong, and still strong to this day. He helped me a lot and I feel like JB is also gonna help me a lot.” #Sixers pic.twitter.com/nyQDw4O0bf
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) September 28, 2026
The Sixers will begin training camp on Tuesday and then the preseason on Oct. 5 as they begin this arduous journey of another chase for the NBA title.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers guards give their thoughts on the addition of Jaylen Brown
