The Boston Celtics just traded the 2024 Finals MVP for a 36-year-old who played 78 total games over two seasons and sat out 25 more for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. As a New York Knicks fan, I want to personally send flowers to Brad Stevens.
Shams Charania broke the news July 1st, and every single person outside of Massachusetts immediately understood what happened here: the Celtics confused “we’re good enough to win even when we make a bad trade” with “this is a good trade.” Those are different things. Catastrophically different things.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/2072443555113468324
Let’s be clear about what Paul George is at this point in his career. He’s a walking injury report who somehow also found time for a 25-game drug suspension this past season, forfeiting $11.7 million in the process. He told everyone he took “improper medication” during mental health treatment, which I actually have some sympathy for — that part is genuinely complicated. The basketball part isn’t.
The man played 41 games in 2024-25 and 37 the year before. He is 36 years old and costs $54 million next season. This is who you wanted so badly you gave up your Finals MVP?
Jaylen Brown, who after joining the Philadelphia 76ers will now pair with Embiid and Maxey — and who finished sixth in MVP voting last season in the best individual year of his career. Jaylen Brown was trending up when Boston shipped him out, and I am not emotionally equipped to process how dangerous that Philly roster is going to be.
The story behind this trade makes it worse. The Celtics apparently went after Giannis Antetokounmpo first, and Milwaukee said no thanks, we’d rather go to Miami where Bam Adebayo is waiting. So Boston’s fallback plan, after getting rejected by the best player in the East, was to acquire a guy whose body has staged a full union walkout. ESPN gave the trade a D+. My sister Marisa saw that grade and texted the group chat “lmaooo” and she doesn’t even follow basketball.
The East odds now: Knicks +325 (East favorites), Celtics +450, 76ers +700, Heat +850. Boston was at +260 before this deal. They made themselves mortal, voluntarily, without anyone holding a gun to their heads.
Now the uncomfortable part: Tatum is still a top-five player and a champion. A healthy George plus Tatum is genuinely dangerous, which makes this more baffling, not less — because nobody forced Boston’s hand. They had a Finals MVP under contract and decided the move was to trade him for a player who’s been held together with Elmer’s glue and optimism since 2024.
Brad Stevens saw a dynasty and decided to light one wing on fire just to see what would happen.
The Knicks are East favorites for the first time in my adult life. I’m going to need a minute.
