The Boston Celtics formally introduced Paul George and Mike Conley Jr. on Tuesday at the Auerbach Center, two months after trading Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for George and four draft picks. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla sat beside them. Mitchell Robinson was also due to appear but missed it for a personal matter, the team said.

George and Conley have played 35 NBA seasons between them, and neither has won a championship. George, 36, enters his 17th season. Conley, 38, enters his 20th, which ESPN says makes him only the 14th player to reach that mark. Both join a team built around Jayson Tatum, who missed the first 62 games of last season after the Achilles tear he suffered in the 2025 playoffs.

George on the Brown trade

Trading Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, upset a large part of the fan base. Asked about that reaction, George said he understood how much Brown meant to the organization and to the city, and that fans were entitled to feel strongly about the deal.

I didn't take it personal.

Paul George, on the reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade

He added that he hoped the way the team starts the season would show fans a new group they could be proud of. George is also part of how the trade came about. He was on the Philadelphia team that came back from 3-1 down to knock Boston out in the first round in May, after the Celtics had won 56 games as the East's No. 2 seed, and the Boston Globe reported that he made 22 of 40 three-pointers in the series.

The deal was agreed on July 1 and became official on July 6. Boston received George, first-round picks in 2028 and 2031, and second-round picks in 2028 and 2030. George is due $54.1 million this season and holds a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28, according to ESPN.

"He's the guy"

"I'm here to help JT," George said of Tatum. "He's the guy." He said he could play off another star wing and still make an impact.

Press conference via Boston Celtics

Two veterans without a ring

Conley joined from Minnesota on a one-year deal. He said the urgency he and George bring comes from being "two guys that haven't had a chance to win a championship yet." Stevens said he really likes the group.

Robinson signed a reported three-year, $47.4 million deal after winning the title with the New York Knicks. His first game against them comes in Boston's home opener on October 23.

What comes next

Media day is September 28 and training camp opens September 29, the Globe reported. Boston plays the 76ers twice in the preseason, at TD Garden on October 10 and in Philadelphia on October 16, then opens the season at Detroit on October 20. Brown's first regular-season game back in Boston is January 21.