Paul George understands trade hate, won't try to be 'superstar' for Celtics

Zack Cox, Boston Herald on Sep 15, 2026

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BOSTON — Addressing reporters Tuesday for the first time as a member of the Celtics, Paul George made two things clear:

First, that he understands why some Celtics fans, still unhappy over the controversial trade that brought him to Boston and sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, might not immediately embrace him.

And second, that Jayson Tatum is the team’s unquestioned superstar, and George plans to do all he can to support him.

“Listen, I understand the circumstances,” George said in his introductory news conference at the Auerbach Center. “I understand how huge JB was not only for the organization but here in the city. I didn’t take it personal. To be honest, they should have a relationship emotionally to that trade. … No personal feelings towards how it was received here in Boston. To be honest, it’s fair. But just one foot in front of the other.

“Hopefully, with how we start this year, they understand this is a new team, something that they can be proud of.”

Lingering animosity over the trade, George said, is “fair … given what JB stood for and what he brought, and the history.” Brown was the Celtics’ longest-tenured player at the time, a leading member of their most recent championship team and an active figure in the Boston community.

But George hopes this new-look C’s squad — which also added center Mitchell Robinson and point guard Mike Conley in free agency — can win over the skeptics.

“He was a part of raising a banner and winning a championship here,” George said. “So I’m not saying that that’s going to forever stick, right? But it’s a new group, it’s a new opportunity, and I think they’re getting someone that’s ready to not fill the shoes or fill the void of JB. But from a personal standpoint, myself, I think I can come in and kind of still keep us in that contention and give us a chance to win.”

The package of George, two first-round draft picks and two second-round picks was viewed as a lackluster return for Brown, who was shipped out in July after enjoying a career year in his 10th season with the Celtics. George is a nine-time All-Star who will have a legitimate Hall of Fame case once he retires, but he’s 36 years old, is signed to a bloated contract and has struggled to stay healthy, missing nearly 40% of his teams’ games over the last seven seasons.

Availability will be the biggest question for George as he begins his Celtics tenure. He was effective when active during his two years with the 76ers — particularly so in their first-round series against Boston this past spring, which president of basketball operations Brad Stevens referenced after the trade — but was limited to 41 games in 2024-25 and 37 in ’25-26.

Currently, though, George feels “amazing” physically. He was able to train, rather than rehab, this summer and said he “(hasn’t) felt like this in a very long time coming into a season.”

He believes he “turned that corner of dealing with injuries and (is) now kind of reestablishing myself from a physical standpoint again.”

“The past couple of years have been rough from a physical standpoint,” George said. “Obviously, that weighs on your mentality when you want to do things that your body has a limitation to. I feel great. I feel really good. Physically, I’ve worked really hard this summer. My body has naturally just healed. Just the time I took off leading up to coming back with Philly, my body was in such a different place. Then, going into this summer was really a chance to continue to work, strengthen my body, strengthen my knee.

“It’s almost a kind of rebirth or reborn again, to be in a system, be in a winning culture, a winning environment and to feel good. I was able to train again in the summer, which, my summers the past couple of years were dedicated to rehab.”

That offseason training included workouts with Tatum, whose shadow George said he’ll be happy to play in this season. Asked whether the 17th-year pro still views himself as a “superstar,” George replied: “Superstar? We have a superstar, and that’s JT.”

“I’m not here to not necessarily steal the shine or try to reinvent who I am,” he said. “I’m here to help JT, and he’s the guy, right? I’ve played alongside another superstar wing (Kawhi Leonard with the Los Angeles Clippers), and we coexisted beautifully. And so I see that with myself. I see that with JT being able to play off him, being able to help him, being able to kind of still be a mentor. So that alone, I can play off another superstar wing and still bring a presence and still be on the side of doing everything to win.”

George views his new chapter with the Celtics as “a great opportunity.”

“You come into this building, and it just hits you,” he said. “Like you’re here to work. You’re here to get better, and I’m kind of carrying that. I’m coming in with that attitude, that mentality to be the best version of myself. Again, I’m ready. I feel this is the timing for me, and I’m all in.”