What's next for the Celtics? Evaluating Boston with Paul George, and also what PG could bring back

Jaylen Brown finished in sixth place in MVP voting last season. He earned Second Team All-NBA honors. And he led the Celtics in both minutes and points averages, putting up an impressive 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.

At first glance, trading him for a player in Paul George, whose 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game pale in comparison, should make the Celtics significantly worse. While some pessimists already have the Celtics slotted as a Play-In team, that won't end up happening. 

Brown is a more productive player and is far healthier than George, but there are several compelling reasons to explain why Boston might be even better this year than last.

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The Celtics will be a regular season juggernaut with Paul George

The Celtics' 56 wins last season surprised a ton of people, myself included. Brown's ascension into a player who could handle being a No. 1 option was certainly a big factor in keeping the team afloat in what many assumed would be a gap year. But it was way more than just one player that allowed Boston to win so many games. 

Joe Mazzulla has mathed out the regular season, creating either the No. 1 or 2 offense in each of the past four years irregardless of his personnel. The Celtics take more efficient shots than other teams, they pound the offensive glass, and they don't turn the ball over. They win the analytics battle, and it consistently leads to a ton of regular season wins. 

None of that is changing with George in place of Brown. And the much bigger factor is that Jayson Tatum will be back for a whole season, taking over Brown's role. Tatum has historically been the better player of the two as that offensive engine, which is the main reason why the Celtics shouldn't see too much of a dropoff. 

MORE: Projecting the Celtics' lineup with Paul George

It might seem like sacrilege to suggest that the Celtics will be better without Brown. That has been the cold hard reality though over the course of his career in Boston. The team has outscored its opponents with Brown on the bench, and lost their minutes with him. 

Regardless of where you fall on the Jaylen Brown debate, it is pretty remarkable that the Boston Celtics were better with him off the court than on the court over his entire 10-year tenure with the team pic.twitter.com/J2dUkBU8vr

Where Brown has looked bad in on/off data, George has shined. His skillset fits with any team due to his ability to play on or off the ball and contribute above-average defense. While his box score stats aren't nearly as good, he is a more well-rounded player than Brown, whose defensive effort comes and goes. 

George does have very serious health concerns. He hasn't been able to stay on the floor and at age 36, those problems are only going to get worse. But even if George doesn't play much, subbing Tatum in for Brown's minutes is going to have the effect of making the Celtics better than last year. They also upgraded their biggest weakness at center by adding Mitchell Robinson and gained some ballhandling with Mike Conley. 

On/off data isn't gospel. There is a lot more depth that goes into whether a player is helpful or not. But even in the adjusted plus-minus metrics that factor in strength of opponents and teammates on the floor, Brown grades out as a good-not-great player, and roughly equivalent to George in terms of impact. 

The bottom line is that the Celtics aren't going to miss Brown that much during the regular season, where depth is much more important and Boston has plenty of it. The Eastern Conference has gotten stronger overall, but Boston should still be near the top of the standings. 

Brown is a much more valuable player in the playoffs, where his scoring creation becomes more important. That is where the Celtics are going to be feeling his loss more and why they may explore avenues to get more help. 

MORE: Grading the Paul George and Jaylen Brown swap for the Celtics and Sixers

Paul George trade destinations

The other factor to consider when projecting the Celtics next year is that this might not be close to their final form. Just because they traded for George doesn't mean that they have to keep him. While he is a great fit for Mazzulla's system, I would be extremely concerned about his availability come April. 

The Celtics gained some valuable picks alongside George. In addition to two second-rounders, they got an unprotected 2031 first-round pick that is far enough out to where Joel Embiid will be off the team, Brown will be 34, and the Sixers could be in decline. 

The crown jewel of the trade though was the unprotected 2028 pick that the Sixers sent over, via the Clippers. That also has the added benefit of turning into a pick swap with Philadelphia if the Sixers' pick lands in the top eight. That is a very valuable trade asset, and the swap condition along with coming from a rebuilding Clippers team makes it more prized than a normal unprotected pick. 

Two unprotected first-rounders that project to be good-to-great are nice to have if the Celtics want to turn around and flip George. They will need to use at least one of them just to get off his $111 million owed over the next two seasons. Teams will be reluctant to take that on. I had him as the third-worst contract in the NBA (Brown ranked No. 10 on that same list). 

The one benefit of making so much money is that the Celtics can trade for another star that makes a lot too. Who could that player be? 

Anthony Davis is perhaps the player that makes the most sense. The Celtics have tried and failed to trade for him in the past. Robinson was a good offseason addition, but Davis would be a massive upgrade as a starting center. 

Davis' value was very low last season. The Wizards got him in exchange for the No. 30 pick in the 2026 draft, a Warriors 2030 pick that will either be in the 20's or not convey at all, and three second-rounders. The Celtics could top that offer by including George along with those two first-round picks. 

Old friend Jrue Holiday could be another option. The Blazers have way too many point guards after trading for Ja Morant, and one of Holiday or Scoot Henderson could be gone. The Blazers would have to add more money in a potential George swap, but there is a framework to that deal that could work. 

Myles Turner is a good starting center that doesn't make much sense in Milwaukee after they traded away Giannis Antetokounmpo. His 3-point shooting and rim protection would make him a nice fit in Boston's system. Turner and Kyle Kuzma could be part of a package for George and picks, helping the Bucks with their rebuild while getting the Celtics a center that was a crucial part of the Pacers' 2025 Finals team. 

Onto two less realistic options, Devin Booker is secretly in a very similar situation to Brown as one of the worst contracts in the league. Casual fans don't see it yet, but his massive $57 million is going to be subject to the same issues as Brown soon. 

De'Aaron Fox is in the exact same boat. The Spurs have stayed steadfast that they have no plans of trading him, but he's the fourth-worst contract in the league. San Antonio probably would have won the championship last season had they received a better player than him in that salary slot. 

Neither Booker nor Fox has been in any trade rumors yet. But trading either for George would allow their teams to get off those bad contracts two years earlier while gaining a player in George that might fit better with their current rosters. From the Celtics side, they'd be getting good players with better health than George. 

Losing Brown has been difficult emotionally for many Celtics fans, who experienced a ton of winning with him playing well for the team. But all is not lost in Boston. They should still have a very good team, with a lot of optionality to get even better.