NBA insider: Celtics didn’t think Jaylen Brown was their best player last season despite MVP candidacy

As fans try to make sense of the head-scratching trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and picks, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared an interesting internal perspective.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="RODI7P7LGFA7BK3GCKPWDDQQ3Y">On the Hoop Collective, the NBA insider shared that Boston didn’t believe Brown was the best active player on the roster in 2025-26.

“I just know that the Celtics felt that even though Jaylen Brown was talking about himself for MVP, or there was this MVP campaign for Jaylen Brown, the Celtics did not feel that Jaylen had the best season on their team — and I don’t mean Jayson Tatum," Windhorst said. “They felt that Derrick White had a better season.

“The statistics that people use to analyze said that.”

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="RXWGSRCHEZEZBMD53LBUUXGABE">It’s a fascinating assessment considering the season White delivered.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="IBMW5LSUIRDTBBYB7X6EC3C3LU">Playing a career high in minutes, White’s shooting percentage fell to a career low 39.4%. The 32-year-old guard did make First Team All-Defense and finished sixth in the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year voting.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="QOK522CFGNBIRB6WI6K67MHY6Y">Meanwhile, Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists — all career bests — while finishing sixth in the MVP voting and earning Second Team All-NBA honors.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="SFXKLQUIDZANZIO3PF6GOJUM3U">MassLive Celtics insider Brian Robb believes there’s a simpler reason for the trade.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="LYM2PNZU45DDLONJ7CWMG6XZQQ">“The Celtics wanted to get out of the Jaylen Brown business,” Robb wrote. “There’s no other clear explanation to describe the team’s decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks on Wednesday.”

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