How can an aging Paul George contribute to the Celtics? If healthy, the return for Jaylen Brown can be a deep threat.

While the Celtics’ trade of Jaylen Brown for Paul George was more about getting Brown’s contract off their books and aligning salaries more symmetrically in the coming Jayson Tatum years, it would help the organization if George was actually effective on the floor.

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When then-76ers general manager Daryl Morey, seeking a third option behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract that eventually became regrettable, he determined George was worth that deal judging on his final year with the Clippers.

In 2023-24, George’s age 33 season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and shot a career-best 41.3 percent from the 3-point line. It appeared George was the perfect fit for that No. 3 role in Philadelphia but his two seasons with the 76ers were an abject failure, mostly because of injuries.

He played a total of 78 regular-season games during those two seasons and most of those injuries were to his knees. And there was also the 25-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy that he attributed to medication for his mental health.

Fast forward to the playoffs against the Celtics, and George was one of the primary reasons why Philadelphia rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take that series. He was strong defensively against Brown. He hit seemingly every 3-pointer he attempted (actually he was 22 for 40) and his effective shooting percentage was a blistering 61.4 percent, the best he ever produced in a playoff series.

It would be wishful thinking for the Celtics to believe they’re getting that George, but they can expect a player who is still effective offensively, although most of his scoring comes from the perimeter.

George’s most productive years were with the Pacers and the Celtics are not getting that player. In his first four seasons in Indiana, more than 60 percent of his shots were from 2-point range and at least 20 percent were from 0 to 3 feet.

But once George suffered that scary broken leg injury playing for Team USA in August 2014, he became more of a midrange specialist. And once he was traded to the Thunder in 2017, at least 40 percent of his shot attempts became 3-pointers.

In his two seasons with the 76ers, 48 percent of his shot attempts were from the 3-point range, meaning he fits into the Celtics’ perimeter system, especially since he made 37.5 percent of them.

It’s difficult to judge George’s time with the 76ers because during his first year, the club decided to tank late in the season for a premium draft pick that resulted in athletic maven VJ Edgecombe from Baylor. In the second season, George played just 27 games before his suspension and came back to play 10 more before the playoffs.

So there is a high level of unknown when it comes to George’s potential impact on the offense. Will he need to be load managed? Can he continue his torrid shooting from the Boston series? In the 76ers’ next series against the Knicks, when they were easily swept, George was not nearly as effective but still made 41.9 percent of his 3-pointers.

As for his salary, he earns $54.1 million next season — just $3 million less than Brown — and he has a $56 million player option for 2027-28. And there would only be one reason for George to decline that option, if the Celtics decided to offer him a longer term extension at a reduced price that would offer the Celtics more cap relief and him more security.

By then, Tatum will have already signed his two-year, $142 million extension that he’s eligible for next summer and the Celtics will have to determine an extension for Payton Pritchard and perhaps a rookie extension for Hugo González.

Whether George would agree to an extension will depend on how well he plays this season. Even if he does opt in to his contract for 2027-28, the Celtics will receive cap relief once his salary is off the books and the deal could be a trade chip for other clubs because it’s an expiring deal.

This is the first time in the Brad Stevens era the Celtics have acquired such an albatross. They have been flawless at staying away from anchor-like contracts but obviously viewed a potential Brown extension in that light and swapped it for George’s deal.

And while George may never live up to that contract he signed with Morey and the 76ers, he has a chance to prove the trade wasn’t as porous as critics have said by returning the consistent player he was during his final years with the Clippers. The effectiveness of George in the Boston series perhaps was one of the reasons why Stevens agreed to this controversial trade.

The one decision that’s holding up league business as the NBA converges on Las Vegas for summer league? The free agency plans of one LeBron James, who continues to offer no hints or a timeline for his next destination.

It appears to be down to three teams with the Cavaliers and Heat, his two former teams with clearing roster space for the potential arrival of him and perhaps acquisition of his son Bronny, and the 76ers, whose luring of Brown from the Celtics has intrigued James.

Bob Myers, former Warriors general manager and now an executive with the 76ers ownership group, said on a podcast with media personality Max Kellerman and James’s agent Rich Paul that Philadelphia would give James the “best chance to win.”

James is in no hurry to make a decision and he doesn’t have to be. At age 41, James still has the power to keep the league waiting on his every move and several teams are still putting on their recruiting pitch because of his off-court and on-court impact.

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There are a handful of intriguing free agents available and most will now have to accept the league minimum because money is drying up. The Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Clippers’ Bennedict Mathurin remain restricted free agents who are expected to return to their respective teams.

Bradley Beal opted out of the final year of his deal with the Clippers and is on the market. Health, of course, is any team’s biggest concern with Beal, but he is still only 33 and is a polished scorer when his body allows.

Health is never an issue with Russell Westbrook but his impact in team chemistry and his desire for starter-type minutes could be reasons why teams are backing off. Westbrook didn’t sign with the Kings until just before opening night last year and it may take that long for him to find a new team.

Boston native Bruce Brown returned to the Nuggets last season and enjoyed success, but Denver is scrapping up money to retain Peyton Watson and Brown remains on the market. Brown was a key contributor on the Nuggets’ championship team three years ago and could help another contender with his versatility.

Brandon Williams has been a Celtics favorite for a few years and he remains on the market after a career-best season with the Mavericks. He averaged 13 points in 22 minutes but shot just 23.2 percent from the 3-point line, which may be why some teams have backed off.

Ziaire Williams’s option was declined by the Nets, making him an unrestricted free agent. Williams averaged 10.1 points over the past two seasons but he isn’t an efficient shooter — 41.8 percent from the field. He may have to wait late into the summer for a deal.

The Magic moved on from former first-round pick Jett Howard after three unimpactful seasons. He did score a career-high 30 points in a loss to the Celtics last season and may be the kind of player a team takes a flyer on late in the summer. Stevens found a gem in Josh Minott on the Timberwolves’ bench last summer. Howard may be in a similar situation.

Gabe Vincent was one of the reasons the Heat was able to upset the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. But after signing with the Lakers a year later, he has lost his effectiveness. He finished last season with the Hawks, shooting 30 percent from the 3-point line in 24 games.

Stevens and majority governor Bill Chisholm spent 45 minutes explaining the Brown trade to moderate success. It was established why the franchise decided to part ways with its 10th all-time leading scorer and five-time All-Star.

What was stressed by Chisholm, who picked his moments to interject, is these moves weren’t motivated by cost cutting or salary slashing, although Stevens said it would be difficult to have Brown and Tatum on the roster and still field a balanced roster in coming years.

“I mean, this is all about, basically trying to win, and I think really trusting in our process,” Chisholm said. “I think we have the best front office in the NBA, and they put in their work, and they came to the conclusion this was the best way for us to win, and that’s the mandate, is to win, and I just have to keep saying that we’ll spend whatever it takes to do that, the mandate is to win.”

Not only did Chisholm say this trade wasn’t mandated, the idea of moving Brown’s salary — he has three years left on the five-year, $304 million pact he signed in 2023 — took him by surprise.

“This was Brad and his team came with [the] recommendation, this is [the] way we’re going to win, and I looked at it, and I had the same reaction, ‘wow’, this is the fan of me, like it was really tough, and then recognizing I said this back in the fall, like I recognize that I have accountability, and I’m accountable for it,” Chisholm said. “Brad’s accountable to me for it, and his team’s accountable to him, but the mandate here was to win, and this, we came to conclusion, they convinced me this was this is the best way for us to win, and I got there, I did, but it was, it was hard, and I, you know, I recognized this was this is a big move, and frankly, you know, and anticipated what happens fast on ownership.”

As the Celtics attempt to move forward, they debuted their summer league roster with the likes of first-round pick Chris Cenac Jr. and second-round pick Dillon Mitchell. The hope is the team’s depth can compensate for Brown’s absence. Stevens said days after the season-ending loss to the 76ers that his team needed more athleticism. Cenac and Mitchell fill that need.

“I do think in building a team and having the optionality that we now have moving forward, we have both really good young depth, some guys that I think will not only be good in the in the near term, but just continue to get better,” Stevens said. “You talked about [George’s] contract a little bit, and how it times up, that will give us optionality, not only in adding to our team, but also retaining some of our team, which I think is important.”

When teams lose players the caliber of Brown, it creates opportunities for those less experienced — and quite honestly cheaper — players to fill voids. Cenac is 19 and a year removed from high school but could make an impact on the Celtics’ reshaped frontcourt.

“I think it’s just about the ability to continue to continue to attract and build out those depth [players], because eventually those guys are going to grow into other opportunities, both here and elsewhere, right?” Stevens said. “Hopefully they get good enough, where they all get bigger contracts and such, and then you’ve got to have the ability to fill in behind and all those things. … This is a really hard call. We’ve lost a lot of sleep about it, and we understand that a lot of people have, but those are the reasons [for the trade].”

The Celtics coaching staff will return intact next season as Joe Mazzulla was able to retain four sought-after assistants, including Tony Dobbins and Tyler Lashbrook. Former summer league coach D.J. MacLeay turned down an opportunity from the Spurs while ex-Celtic Phil Pressey will return as G League Maine’s head coach . . . The Clippers are in a full retool after moving Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors but that doesn’t mean they’ll be devoid of talent. There are clearing salary cap space for a potential run at Watson, who is from LA and played at UCLA. Watson is the best remaining free agent on the market and the Nuggets appear prepared to counter any offer sheets. But the Clippers moved John Collins to the Pistons in a sign-and-trade on a front-loaded deal to save salary cap space. With Darius Garland, first-round pick Keaton Wallace, Mathurin, and newly signed Rui Hachimura, the Clippers have young talent and salary cap space next summer also when Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez come off the books . . . Quinten Post, currently Boston College’s only NBA player, agreed to a three-year offer sheet from the Grizzlies that the Warriors did not match, giving the big man a new contract and a chance to pair with Zach Edey in the frontcourt. Post earned minutes last season with his 3-point shooting and emerged as a key contributor in his two seasons, averaging 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds . . . The Kings parted ways with veteran swingman DeMar DeRozan, who spent the past two seasons with Sacramento putting up efficient numbers. Not only did DeRozan play 77 games last season in his mid-30s but he averaged 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting. DeRozan is a midrange specialist and occasional 3-point shooter, which may not be attractive to many teams but he’s a professional scorer with a knack of getting to the free throw line and still appears to have something left in the tank. It’s likely he’ll sign a league minimum deal but could come as a great value. He is owed just $10 million from the Kings this season as general manager Scott Perry is clearing salary cap space to make a run at a maximum contract player next summer. In addition to DeRozan, the salaries of Zach LaVine and De’Andre Hunter come off the books after this season . . . The NBA comeback of former Celtics’ first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele is over as he signed a three-year pact with Panathinaikos in Greece. After his performance in the 2024 Olympics for France, Yabusele joined the 76ers and played a season as an undersized center with Embiid out. He then signed with the Knicks last offseason but was eventually traded to the Bulls to clear roster space.

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