Boston's current core traces back to a trade that sent two champions to Brooklyn for four first-round picks; the Celtics drafted Jaylen Brown in 2016 and Jayson Tatum in 2017 in the years that followed. This summer the franchise ran a version of that play again, sending Brown to Philadelphia in a deal that brought back Paul George plus four more picks, two first-rounders and two seconds.
Boston has rebuilt by trading stars for picks before.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were traded to Brooklyn for four first-round picks, and the Celtics used the years that followed to draft Jaylen Brown in 2016 and Jayson Tatum in 2017. That pair anchored a run to the 2022 Finals and the 2024 championship. This summer's trade reversed the flow: Brown left for Philadelphia, and Boston's return was Paul George plus four picks, two first-rounders and two seconds.
The 2024 title still sets the number everyone else chases.
That championship was Boston's 18th, a total that broke a 17-17 tie with the Lakers and put the Celtics alone atop the league's banner count. The Lakers remain the closest second at 17, and the two franchises have met a record 12 times in the Finals, with Boston winning nine. Philadelphia is now the sharper rival in the present tense, having ended Boston's season last spring after a 3-1 lead, then acquiring Brown directly in this summer's trade.
History has not yet made room for this roster's names.
Forty-one people connected to the Celtics are in the Naismith Hall of Fame, and the franchise has retired 23 jersey numbers, both more than any other team in the league. Tatum enters his ninth season as the holdover from the old pairing; George, at 36, is the piece the front office is betting on to get back past Philadelphia and Miami. None of it has been tested yet: the record is 0-0, with the preseason opener at Cleveland on October 8 and the regular season starting October 20 at Detroit.
Why did the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown this offseason?
Boston made the move after Philadelphia eliminated the Celtics in the 2026 playoffs, erasing a 3-1 series lead. The trade sent Brown to the 76ers for Paul George plus four picks: two first-rounders and two seconds.
Have the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals before?
Yes, a record 12 times, with Boston winning nine of those series.
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