The Philadelphia 76ers landed Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics after weeks of steady contact, even while they were seen as a long-shot destination for the All-NBA forward.
The timeline of talks, published by RealGM — Basketball Wiretap and ClutchPoints — NBA based on reporting from The Athletic, points to the persistence philosophy of president of basketball operations Mike Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson.
A persistence philosophy from Cleveland
Gansey traced the approach to his time as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, where owner Dan Gilbert pushed the front office to exhaust every avenue for a target. That mindset was summed up in his remark that some deals take two years because they kept calling and checking in.
That persistence shaped Philadelphia's pursuit. The Sixers knew they were not among Boston's first calls as trade talks formed, but they kept reaching out regardless.
Boston's Giannis pursuit and the shifting market
The coinciding accounts note Boston initially explored using Brown as part of an effort to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the Miami Heat won that race, the dynamics around Brown changed.
With Brown's name already public in trade discussions, Boston reached a point where it almost had to move him. Philadelphia still viewed itself as a long shot given the expectation that Boston would prefer to send an All-NBA player to the Western Conference rather than a division rival.
The sequence around Giannis Antetokounmpo shows how the broader market conditioned the move.
Final stretch and the 2028 first-rounder
As Brown's market softened, the Sixers stayed engaged. Once the deal came within reach, Philadelphia decided not to let the LA Clippers' 2028 first-round pick prevent the blockbuster from getting done.
Gansey described the process as taking a couple of weeks, with Philadelphia letting Boston know of its interest, staying in the mix and reaching the five-yard line by continuing to bang the drum.
The arrival of Jaylen Brown, an All-NBA wing in the NBA 2026/27, gives Philadelphia an immediate lift and reshapes the Eastern balance.
