Jaylen Brown arrived at his introductory press conference in Philadelphia on Thursday with the composure of a man who had processed a major upheaval. The answer he gave when asked about his first reaction to the July 6 trade was immediate: “When I first got traded, I just threw my phone across the room.”
He followed it up with something more measured. “It’s been a crazy transition, to be honest – but none of it is completely surprising.” A decade in Boston, nine playoff runs, one Finals MVP. Brown had heard his name in trade discussions so many times that the possibility had long been priced in. The communication from the Celtics, though, he was less philosophical about.
What Brown said about Boston
The 29-year-old did not sugarcoat his feelings about the process. He acknowledged the Celtics had first explored packaging him in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo – a trade that ultimately went to the Miami Heat. When that fell through, the 76ers moved in, and Brown became the centerpiece of a swap that sent Paul George and two first-round picks back to Boston.
Brown said he was “excited and disappointed” simultaneously – a combination that fits his deliberate, measured personality. He made clear his focus has already shifted. Playing alongside Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid was not an outcome he needed to mourn for long.
“There’s a whole season ahead,” Brown said. “That’s what I’m locked in on.”
Embiid: healthy for the first time in years
The other significant update from Thursday came not from the player but from the front office. Philadelphia president of basketball operations Mike Gansey made a statement that Sixers fans have been waiting years to hear: Joel Embiid is healthy. “This is the first summer in a while that he’s been healthy,” Gansey told HoopsHype. “He’s extra motivated.”
He went further: Embiid wants “to play a lot of games” and is “excited about the group we’ve built.” The two-time scoring champion (26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds per game in 2025-26, before a knee injury derailed his playoffs) reportedly shed weight this offseason and posted workout footage that generated real attention. A full, healthy version of Embiid is something Philadelphia has rarely, if ever, seen across a full season.
What this starting five could do
The projected lineup for 2026-27: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid. Four of those five are multiple-time All-Stars. The fifth – Edgecombe – is 21 years old and improving fast.
None of it guarantees anything. The Celtics retain Jayson Tatum and a deep rotation. Embiid’s health will define Philadelphia’s ceiling more than the names on the roster. But a fully committed, physically sound Embiid playing beside the all-time leading scorer and a former Finals MVP – the East has not looked like this in a long time.
Brown is done grieving the trade. Philadelphia is already looking ahead. Preseason starts in October, and the Knicks-Sixers rivalry is being circled on every calendar in the league right now.
