Bob Myers says Philadelphia did not enter the offseason targeting Jaylen Brown, but the 76ers quickly recognized a potential opening when Celtics president Brad Stevens asked what they were prepared to offer.
Speaking on Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Myers explained that Philadelphia’s pursuit developed only after the possibility of Brown becoming available emerged.
“Jaylen Brown was not like we lost the Knicks and we’re going to go get Jaylen Brown,” Myers said. “Like that’s not what happened. It just that’s not what happened. Then you start hearing there was a possibility and the job then became is this a real thing with Jaylen Brown. Is it a real thing?”
For Myers, the key moment came when he contacted Stevens to determine whether Boston was genuinely willing to discuss its two-time All-NBA forward. Myers said Stevens’ response immediately changed Philadelphia’s approach.
“When Brad Stevens responded with, ‘What are you offering?’ Then you knew that there was a shot,” Myers said.
Philadelphia ultimately acquired Brown from Boston in a blockbuster deal centered on Paul George, with the 76ers also sending two future first-round picks and two second-round selections to the Celtics.
The move followed a 2025-26 season in which Brown produced the strongest statistical campaign of his 10-year career. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and earning All-NBA Second Team honors.
Brown also finished sixth in MVP voting, providing Philadelphia with a high-volume scorer coming off a season in which he averaged 21.7 field-goal attempts and 7.5 free-throw attempts per game.
The trade reshaped a Philadelphia team that finished 45-37 and seventh in the Eastern Conference before beating Boston in a seven-game first-round series. The 76ers were then swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
Brown joins a Philadelphia core that includes Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and LeBron James. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games last season, while Embiid posted 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds in 38 appearances.
