Getty Jaylen Brown will see his Boston Celtics contract expire in 2024
The Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown are set for some tough discussions in the near future as both sides begin to plan for the All-Star wings impending free agency in the summer of 2024.
For the most part, Brown has remained tight-lipped regarding his future, but given his year-on-year improvements, it’s clear he’s going to see a salary increase – the question is, will that be in Boston or elsewhere?
During a March 21 interview with The Ringer’s Logan Murdock, Brown shed some light on his current mindset regarding his inevitable contract discussions with the Celtics front office and any other interested parties.
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“I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me,” Brown said. “We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correctly…I just enjoy the time that you have now. If it’s your whole career, it’s your whole career.
If it’s not, it’s not. Some of the greatest players of all time haven’t finished with their organization. Michael Jordan retired a Wizard. As much as we like it here and enjoy being here, you see where life takes you. You see how the process goes. All you do is really focus on what’s in front of you right now, to be honest. But I don’t really know or want to answer that question because that type of stuff makes Celtics fans speculate and go crazy. Especially right now, I’ll just say we’ll get there when we get there.”
Brown has been on a tear this season and is currently averaging 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 49% from the field and 34% from three-point range.
Celtics Could Decide to Trade Jaylen Brown
According to a March 2 article by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Celtics could look to test the trade market for Brown should they fail in their goal to win an NBA championship this season.
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“Should Boston fall well short of its playoff goals, though, that’s where things could get interesting. Might we hear a new round of rumblings about a Jaylen Brown trade? He could be in line for a massive contract extension this summer, as Celtics insider Chris Forsberg noted on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition, and maybe Boston won’t want to foot that bill,” Buckley wrote.
However, in recent weeks, Brown has clearly been the Celtics’ best offensive weapon, as he continues to fill the void left by Jayson Tatum, who has struggled for form and consistency since returning from the All-Star break. As such, Boston could be reluctant to trade away one of the more talented wings in the league when they still have a legitimate chance of re-signing him in 2024.
Jaylen Brown Could be a Flight Risk
The issue with waiting until Brown hits free agency is that Boston could potentially lose one of their star players for nothing, should he choose to sign with another team. As such, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale believes that the Celtics will be stringent in upcoming trade discussions, as they will be unlikely to trade away any more draft assets for fear of being left in limbo if Brown heads elsewhere after his current contract.
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“Boston has the capacity to dangle first-rounders in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The latter is too far away to spotlight…Rival teams should be most interested in the 2025 selection. It conveys relatively soon yet post-dates Brown’s entry in 2024 free agency. The current extension rules make it prohibitive for him to sign one, so he will hit the open market. This isn’t to imply Brown is a flight risk, but he could be,” Favale wrote.
For now, though, the Celtics will be hoping that their star tandem of Brown and Tatum can help lead the team back to the NBA Finals and hopefully lift the franchise’s 18th championship banner at the end of the season.