Jaylen Brown on trade to Philadelphia: ‘Actions speak louder than words’

Jaylen Brown released a statement Thursday with his first public reaction to his trade from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown, whose 10-year tenure with the Celtics ended Wednesday when the team agreed to trade him to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, posted on Instagram that he was still processing how the deal went down, but that he is “excited and disappointed at the same time.”

In a long message, Brown also said, “I’m big on respect and actions speak louder than words.”

Brown didn’t specify which actions or words he meant. But, before trading Brown to the 76ers, the Celtics included him in an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo and then continued to explore his trade market with other NBA teams. Coming off the best season of his career, it would have been natural for Brown to feel disrespected by Boston’s willingness to include him in trade talks.

The Celtics also considered trading Brown in 2022, including him in negotiations for Kevin Durant. Though Brown and the organization were able to move past that situation, he was at a different place in his career after winning the 2024 championship and NBA Finals MVP. Brown also helped the Celtics surpass expectations with 56 wins this past season following several key departures and Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles tendon.

“I earned my respect from this city,” Brown said. “I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge. The relationships I built here, the battles we fought together, the championship we brought to this city, and the connection I shared with the fans, I’ll carry on with me.

“Saying goodbye isn’t easy when you’ve invested your heart into something.”

Philly #throwtheballup let’s get it pic.twitter.com/zdC6g1dTyM

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 2, 2026