76ers rejected Celtics' wild Jaylen Brown-centered trade offer for V.J. Edgecombe, per report

The Philadelphia 76ers made one thing clear on Wednesday night: they were cooking up a mind-blowing offseason trade that will likely benefit them more than the franchise at the opposite end of the deal. 

Philadelphia traded Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks to the Boston Celtics for 29-year NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown in a deal that is the classic example of a fleece.

Shortly after the trade, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that the Celtics originally wanted the 76ers’ rising star V.J. Edgecombe in a deal centered on Brown.

Wisely, though, the franchise declined, as it would have been wildly irresponsible for Philadelphia to surrender its high-upside rookie stud for Brown, regardless of the former Celtics star’s remarkable accomplishments thus far (forcing Boston to pivot).

“The Celtics were originally asking the Sixers to include VJ Edgecombe in the Jaylen Brown trade alongside Paul George,” Charania stated, per a X/Twitter post from NBA insider Evan Sidery.

“Boston’s asking price on Brown continued to fall over the past few weeks until they accepted Philadelphia’s deal centered on George + picks.”

The 76ers' commitment to retaining Edgecombe for the foreseeable future should pay dividends for the franchise. Not only does Philadelphia possess a formidable tandem in Tyrese Maxey and Brown going forward, but they’ll get to continue developing Edgecombe, a remarkable downhill slasher, and help him maximize his potential in the big leagues. 

Seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid is still in the mix as well, giving the 76ers all the ammunition necessary to pose a serious threat to the defending champion New York Knicks.

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