The Boston Celtics have not had a fun offseason. To start July, they traded star guard Jaylen Brown, who was once the longest-tenured Celtic, to the rival Philadelphia 76ers for veteran wing Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens implied that the flexibility provided by that move would be more apparent in the future, but, at present, the blockbuster trade has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Celtics fans who are hungry for another ******* le.
Then, on Friday morning, ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news everybody had been waiting for, reporting that four-time MVP LeBron James opted to take his talents to The City of Brotherly Love via a two-year, $8 million contract. James, a former member of the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, has played for some of the Celtics' biggest rivals. He's even burned the C's in the playoffs before, albeit not in the last several years.
His return to the Eastern Conference could reignite that distaste for Boston, and maybe even vault the Sixers into championship contender status. If so, is Stevens partially responsible?
Stevens knew the risk of sending Brown to a rival, in-division team like the 76ers. And he also knew that James was a free agent, as the 22-time All-Star announced his plans to leave the Lakers on Tuesday, June 30.
The very next day, Brown was sent packing to Philly. Stevens told reporters that he lost sleep over the deal, yet he still pulled the trigger when the time came.

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