Doc Rivers says first person he thought of after Jaylen Brown trade was Tommy Heinsohn 

Add Doc Rivers to the long list of NBA voices who were shocked to see the Celtics trade away star Jaylen Brown earlier this summer — especially to an Atlantic Division rival in the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Ahead of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Rivers — who coached both the Celtics and Sixers over his 27-year coaching career — was asked about his reaction to the trade. 

“I was surprised like everybody else, if I’m being honest, and I was surprised they did it with Philly,” Rivers said Friday at Mohegan Sun in a video posted by MassLive. 

While Brown was the subject of trade rumors for months this offseason before finally getting shipped to the Sixers, few expected the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to end up in Philly — where he is joining a stacked roster that already includes Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, and V. J. Edgecombe. 

In return for Brown, the Sixers sent Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks to the Celtics. 

Rivers — who helped coach the Celtics to an NBA title in 2008 — was quick to acknowledge a Celtics legend when asked about Boston’s decision to move on from an established star like Brown. 

“I’m joking, but the first thing when I heard that trade, I thought of Tommy Heinsohn. When I was coaching the Celtics, I remember losing, I don’t know, we lost one game to the Sixers. I don’t know if it was the first time we played them,” Rivers said. “And I always sat by Tommy on the plane, and he looked at me and he said, ‘Don’t ever lose to the Sixers.’ 

“I’m thinking this trade would have drove him crazy. Having said that, there’s a lot of reasons why a trade happens and I think in Boston’s view, they have a plan. We’ll see how it [plays] out.”

Speaking the day after the Celtics traded him away, Brown shared a candid sentiment about how his tenure in Boston ended. 

“The message was received,” Brown said of Boston’s efforts to trade him. “I wasn’t thrilled with the amount of respect that was shown throughout this process. I think there was a bit of a lack of respect. I think it was fine at one point, then out of nowhere, things just went left. I think Brad [Stevens] is getting a lot of the criticism. I wasn’t thrilled with the way he facilitated some of the conversations.”

Brown and the Sixers will take on the Celtics for the first time during the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Philadelphia before Brown makes his anticipated return to TD Garden on Thursday, Jan. 21.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.