A bit awkward! Two months ago, Brown criticized Embiid for flopping to draw fouls, and now they've become teammates.

On July 2, Beijing time, per Shams' report, insider sources confirm that the Boston Celtics have made a deal, shipping Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. It's somewhat embarrassing that Brown criticized Embiid's flopping two months ago, yet they are now teammates.

In early May, Brown stated that although Embiid had a stellar performance, the way he secured the win was questionable. In Game 7, the Philadelphia 76ers completed an epic comeback, defeating the Boston Celtics. Embiid shined throughout the game, posting 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists with only 1 turnover.

Brown also played well that game, scoring 33 points and dishing 9 assists. When interviewed after the match, he said bluntly: "Embiid put tremendous pressure on our whole team, whether it was bigs or guards—we couldn't contain him. We tried every defensive scheme. He's huge and flops constantly to draw fouls, getting a lot of extra free throws, and the refs favor him because of it. That's just how the league officiates these days."

The implication of those words is easy to understand. As everyone knows, Embiid's ability to draw fouls has long been well-known across the league. In that game, he made 9 of 11 free throws; his free-throw attempts alone exceeded the total of the entire Celtics starting lineup.

However, that wasn't the core reason the Celtics lost. If there was one key factor that could have allowed Boston to cruise to a big win, it was their team-wide cold shooting from beyond the arc—they hit only 13 of 49 three-pointers, a mere 26.5%, with Brown going just 3-for-9 from deep.

Additionally, with five minutes left in the game, the Celtics missed ten consecutive shots; Derrick White was red-hot in the first half but completely disappeared in the second half; and star player Jayson Tatum was unexpectedly sidelined before the game due to knee soreness, which had a huge impact on the team.

Now, Brown has joined the 76ers, forming a new Big Three in Philadelphia alongside Embiid and Maxey.