Getty Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
One of the biggest questions floating around the Boston Celtics fanbase right now is whether or not Jaylen Brown will look to leave the franchise once his contract expires in two years’ time.
Sure, two years is a long time, and anything can happen between now and then. But, following Brown’s name surfacing as part of the rumored Kevin Durant trade offer, it’s fair to assume he will be a little disgruntled considering he had just helped the Celtics come within two games of an NBA Championship.
Recently, an Eastern Conference GM shared his opinion on Brown’s future with Heavy.com, operating under the condition of anonymity – the GM gave his thoughts on how to keep Brown long-term, and ways in which the Georgia native can maximize his earning potential moving forward.
“If he is back with them this season, and I think most of us think he will be, they’ll have to smooth things over but they should be able to do that just by winning. It is pretty simple. Win, and everyone is happy, right? They could get antsy about 2024 when he hits free agency because he might want out, but look, teams do not have a lot of cap space going forward. The way you will know if he wants out is if you see some teams re-arranging their contracts to make room in 2024. He will be the star of that free-agent class, so if teams are making moves, it is because they have some indication he might sign there.
The smart play for him, really, would be to sign a one-year extension and be a free agent in 2025, when the new TV deal hits. He would be lined up with Tatum at that point and they could hit free agency together if Tatum is not extended. There probably will be some smoothing with the new TV deal this time, but there is going to be a spike any way you look at it — he will have some options to go elsewhere then, and he will have more money on the table even if he stays in Boston,” The GM told Heavy’s, Sean Deveney.
Kendrick Perkins Urges Boston to Trade Brown
When your name is linked in a trade package for a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber, you could be forgiven for taking it as a compliment, after all, Brown was being used as the centerpiece of Boston’s trade offer.
However, this isn’t the first time Brown has been considered a makeweight in a potential deal for a superstar, and regardless of what gets said, that’s bound to chip away at your loyalty towards an organization – which is why former Boston Celtics champion, Kendrick Perkins believes the Celtics should look to trade Brown before losing him for nothing at the end of his contract.
“They’re gonna trade Jaylen Brown, because I feel like, as of right now, the trust has been broken. And we have to remember this, Danny Ainge drafted Brown, not Brad Stevens…My thing is, I don’t know how the Celtics are going to bounce back from this, I don’t know if they can bounce back from this – I don’t think they can,” Perkins said during a July 29 episode of Swagu and Perk.
Paul Pierce Doesn’t Believe Boston Will Trade Brown
While trust may be a legitimate issue Brown and the Celtics front office will need to work out, there is still plenty of time to get their relationship back on track. And according to Paul Pierce, who spoke to the media while at the premiere of NYC Point Gods, the Celtics are unlikely to make a trade that sees them part with one of their two best players.
Are the #Celtics going to trade for Kevin Durant? Just ask Paul Pierce:
“Nah, they’re not going to do that (trade Jaylen Brown), they’re not doing that. That ain’t happening. They don’t need to make no moves,” Pierce told reporters on July 27.
Brown ended last season with averages of 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists throughout 66 regular-season games, before going on to average 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 24 post-season games. With averages such as those, and with the continual improvements Brown has displayed year after year, there’s every reason to believe the Celtics front office will look to put things right with the 25-year-old wing in the coming months, rather than risk losing him at the end of his current contract.