Paul George had heard it all. The boos. The social media pile-ons. The hot takes about how Boston traded away a Finals MVP for a 36-year-old with injury problems. Tuesday, at his first press conference as a Celtic, George addressed it head-on.
“I understand where they’re coming from,” George said of Celtics fans upset about losing Jaylen Brown. “That’s what makes this challenge exciting for me.”
The trade — finalized last week after delays tied to the Kawhi Leonard salary cap investigation — sent Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for George and a package of draft assets. Brown joins a 76ers team already built around Joel Embiid and LeBron James. George gets one last run at a ring with a team built to contend.
Injuries, 36, and the reset button
George spent most of the last four years fighting his body. Knee, shoulder, hamstring — the list was long enough to make even loyal fans wince. But sitting beside head coach Joe Mazzulla on Tuesday, the nine-time All-Star looked different. Leaner. Sharper. Fully present.
“I’ve turned the corner,” he said. “Physically, I’m in a place I haven’t been in years.”
That message matters because the Celtics aren’t rebuilding. Jayson Tatum returns after tearing his Achilles in May 2025 — an injury that ended Boston’s season and cost Philadelphia, and George, a shot at the Finals. Now the two are teammates. The dynamic is unusual. George seemed unbothered.
“Jayson is a winner,” George said. “I’ve competed against him long enough to know what he brings. I’m here to complement that.”
A fifth team, one more shot
George has worn a lot of jerseys: Indiana, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Philadelphia, now Boston. At each stop, something went sideways — injuries, roster fits that never quite clicked, a team that peaked too early or too late. The Celtics hand him arguably the best situation he’s had since his Thunder days.
Boston enters 2026-27 with legitimate title expectations. Tatum’s return timeline looks solid. Kristaps Porzingis, when healthy, remains one of the better two-way bigs in the East. The bench has depth. George knows the stakes.
“I’m not coming here to just play a role,” he said. “I want to help this team win a championship. That’s the only reason I’m here.”
Whether Celtics fans buy it won’t be settled in a press conference. It’ll be decided in April, maybe May. George has said what he needed to say. Now the real work starts — per ESPN, training camp opens for Boston in late September.
