Boston is taking a calculated risk in taking on Paul George and this can all be summarized with one question: which version of him is walking through the door?

The 36-year-old George arrives from the Philadelphia 76ers as the centerpiece of the return for Jaylen Brown, ending a rocky two-year stint in Philadelphia and reuniting him with a Celtics team he just helped eliminate this past season. 

Coming into Boston, George’s availability over his two seasons in Philadelphia is the most obvious red flag. George played in just 41 games in his first season with the Sixers, largely because of injuries, and appeared in only 37 games in his second, a game count that was further held down by a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy–a concerning pattern for a player already on the wrong side of 35.

But there’s a reason Boston was willing to take that risk, and it showed up in their first round series that ended last May. In Philadelphia’s seven-game first-round upset of Boston last postseason, George was terrific, averaging 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 37.1 minutes a night, and shooting 55 percent on 5.7 three-point attempts per game. That stretch proved to be the clearest evidence of what he can still bring when healthy and locked in, and it’s exactly what the Celtics need from him now that he has shifted to their side.

Boston led the league in three-point attempts by a wide margin last season, hoisting 46.1 a game compared to 38.4 for the second-place Portland Trail Blazers, and George’s career 38.4 percent mark from deep makes him an ideal fit for that system next to Jayson Tatum. That shooting is really the whole case for this trade: it’s the one part of George’s game that can justify giving up a five-time All-Star seven years his junior in Brown. 

George, for his part, is a nine-time All-Star in his own right, though his last appearance was in 2024. He also remains an above-average perimeter defender at 6-foot-8, which only adds to the appeal.

Crucially, George won’t be asked to be Boston’s top option. That job belongs to Tatum, a six-time All-Star who looked encouraging in a shortened run last season after returning in March from a torn Achilles. What the Celtics need from George this season is more specific: reliable three-point shooting, occasional shot creation, and, most importantly, consistent defense which is a reasonable ask even at this stage of his career.

On paper, the fit with Boston makes far more sense than it ever did in Philadelphia, both philosophically and analytically. George never quite found his footing in a crowded Sixers offense, but Boston’s spacing-heavy system plays right to his strengths. 

Now, the theoretical and analytical fit has to actually play out on the court. The rest of the league will be watching closely, particularly since Brown has made no secret of feeling hurt by the move. For the Celtics, this trade will ultimately come down to health as much as talent, but if George can stay on the floor, he has shown enough recently for Boston to believe that they can compete for a championship as presently constructed.