The Brown-Tatum era closed this summer when Boston traded Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and four draft picks, two firsts and two seconds. Whether that swap improves a team that won 56 games last season depends on games played, not talent.
Boston paid for the future as much as the present.
The trade sent Brown to Philadelphia for George and four picks, two firsts and two seconds. That is an unusual return for a team that just finished 56-26 with a net rating of 8.3, fourth-best in the league. Contenders do not usually stockpile that much draft capital unless the price of keeping the roster together got too steep, or the front office is hedging against a specific risk in what came back.
George's health record is the number that decides this.
George played 37 games last season, his age-36 season, averaging 17.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting from three. Those numbers work fine when he is on the floor. The 37-game total, not the scoring average, is what separates a shrewd swap from an expensive one, and Boston will not know which it got until well into the schedule.
Brown was still producing when Boston moved him.
In his final stretch with Boston, Brown scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games off the bench. A team does not give up that kind of scoring, from a reserve role no less, without deciding something else mattered more: size, defense, or the four picks attached to George.
The verdict rests with games played, not points scored.
Boston already carries a $203.9M payroll, above the $200.4M tax threshold, so this was never a cost-saving move. It pays off if George approaches a full season rather than last year's 37 games, and if Tatum, cleared this week after being listed day-to-day, resembles the player who averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in his own 16 games last season. Bet the picks on injury insurance, and the trade holds up even if it loses on the court.
Why did the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown for Paul George?
Boston used the swap to add a two-way forward and four draft picks, two firsts and two seconds, closing the Brown-Tatum partnership that began in 2016.
How many games did Paul George play last season?
George appeared in 37 games last season at age 36, averaging 17.3 points on 39.2 percent three-point shooting.
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