“I Threw My Phone”: Jaylen Brown Gets Honest on Getting Traded by Celtics to 76ers

Earlier this summer, the Boston Celtics shockingly traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. While it was no secret that the Celtics were actively looking to trade Brown this summer, nobody expected they would push through with it. Brown has proven himself to be one of the most important pieces in Boston, especially during Jayson Tatum's absence last season.

Despite proving his ability to carry his own team, Celtics president Brad Stevens felt that Paul George was a better fit for the team than Brown, hence the trade. A month has passed since the trade, and JB recently opened up to the media about how he reacted to the news of getting traded.

"When I first got traded, I just threw my phone across the room," Brown said in a 76ers introductory press conference on Thursday. "It might've been (Tyrese Maxey) who reached out to me first. He reached out and was like, 'I know there's a lot of stuff going on right now, but we're excited to have you.'"

While Brown made it seem like he was upset to learn about getting traded, he also seems to be happy to be playing alongside three All-Stars now. JB is set to team up with Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Tyrese Maxey.

Since the superteam's formation this summer, the 76ers' chances of winning the championship have suddenly skyrocketed. According to sports betting websites, Philly has +900 odds of winning the title, making them the fourth favorite team to take home the gold this coming season.

Despite ranking third in the championship projection, NBA 2K27 ratings show that the 76ers are currently the strongest active team in the game. Brown has a 95 overall rating. Then Maxey was given an overall rating of 93.

Meanwhile, Embiid and James are both rated 92 overall. While NBA 2K ratings don't always translate in real life, there's still some hint of accuracy, which we could witness this coming season.

None of this- the ratings, the odds, the hype would carry much weight if Brown were an unproven commodity. He isn't. Across 142 career playoff games and nine trips to the postseason, Brown has averaged 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists, numbers that climbed to 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the 2024 Finals run that ended with him hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the Finals MVP award.

He's also a Conference Finals MVP. Whatever pressure comes with sharing a locker room with Embiid and James, Brown has already navigated the exact kind of stage he's walking back into, just in a different jersey this time.

Jaylen Brown Looking Forward to Debut Season With the 76ers

While it's sad to see the end of an era in Boston, Philly fans are excited to witness the storm that's surging within the 76ers franchise.

The superteam of Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Tyrese Maxey is anticipated to display greatness on the hardwood this coming season.

At his introductory press conference with the 76ers, Brown opened up about his mindset now that he's playing for Philly.

"First and foremost, thank you for having me, everybody," Brown said. "Community is very important to me. I'm excited to be doing it here in my first intro to Philadelphia. Thank you to the organization. ... I'm excited to be here. I'm looking forward to the journey."

Last season, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.0 steals. That scoring mark was a career high by nearly nine points over his 20.0 points-per-game career average, and it landed fourth in the NBA overall- behind only Luka Doncic's league-leading 33.5 points per game while leading every player in the Eastern Conference.

While his numbers are nothing short of impressive, the biggest concern right now is whether his production will be the same now that he has to share the spotlight with three other superstars.

That question won't stay theoretical for long. The NBA is expected to release the 2026-27 schedule in mid-August, and the expected marquee assignment for opening night is a trip to Madison Square Garden to face the defending champion Knicks - the same team that swept Philadelphia out of the second round last postseason.

It's a fitting way to start: Brown was one of the few Celtics who actually had New York's number last year, averaging north of 30 points across three meetings, including a 42-point outburst in Boston's lone win over the Knicks.

Now he'll be trying to produce that kind of scoring for a new team, on the road, in front of a crowd that just watched its franchise end a 53-year championship drought.

However, given that Maxey has expressed excitement on social media and Embiid has been working hard to get into better game shape this summer, it seems that everyone is locked in to make this 76ers superteam work.