The Philadelphia 76ers held their annual media day to begin the week, introducing Jaylen Brown for the second time. Out in Boston, their rival, the Celtics, did the same with Paul George.
As expected, both players discussed their new beginnings, and that made it known he wished he was with the Celtics "a lot sooner," based on how his experience has gone so far.
The Sixers probably feel the same way
To be clear, George wasn't exactly throwing shots. The veteran wing made it known that he wasn't discrediting any of his past stops, with the recent ones being the Sixers and the Los Angeles Clippers, but the history of the Celtics and the treatment so far have offered the star wing "nothing but happiness."
The Sixers, who traded George to the Celtics, probably feel the same way. If they had Jaylen Brown sooner, then maybe they would be further along in their journey of trying to get past the second-round hump and competing for an NBA Championship.
The PG experience wasn't a success
On paper, the Paul George fit for the Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey-led Sixers felt ideal. The reality was that it wasn't set up for success. Sure, George had his moments and put together an impressive series against the Celtics in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, but he was far from living up to the four-year, $211 million contract he signed with the Sixers in 2024.
George went from back-to-back All-Star appearances to averaging just 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in 2024-2025. In his second season, George was slightly better with his scoring (17.3 PPG), but dipped in his playmaking (3.6 APG). To top it all off, he was only available for half of the season.
During his first run with the Sixers, George appeared in 41 games. He missed time with multiple setbacks. In year two, George played in just 37 games. He had injury concerns and a notable suspension due to PED use. The Sixers paid PG a ton of money--$100,871,890 to be exact--to be available for a limited time and produce at a level that the league hasn't seen since his pre-All-Star days with the Indiana Pacers.
George didn't force his way out of Philly, but it's clear that he's happy with the move. The feeling is clearly mutual, as the Sixers conducted the trade to send George out to Boston.
