BOSTON, July 3 -- Jaylen Brown did not ask to be traded. The Boston Celtics did not tell him he was being traded until it was done. So when Brown broke his silence Wednesday evening, the phrase he settled on, "excited and disappointed at the same time," landed with the careful precision of a man who understood exactly what those words would be read for.

Brown spent nine seasons in Boston. He helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA championship. He came off his best statistical season in the league, posting career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, earning a spot on the All-NBA Second Team and finishing sixth in MVP voting, and was handed a transaction in return. The Celtics sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exch...