On May 29, the Boston Celtics fell short in their Eastern Conference Finals game seven contest against the Miami Heat.
As such, Boston’s offseason is now officially underway, which means that Jaylen Brown‘s potential supermax contract extension has immediately become a significant talking point.
According to ESPN’s JJ Redick, who was speaking on a May 30 episode of First Take, Boston will need to tread carefully in how they approach their roster building, as having both Brown and (eventually) Jayson Tatum on supermax deals would leave the team in a difficult situation when looking to build out the rest of their roster.
“I think Jaylen Brown is also a great player,” Redick said. “All-NBA, all that stuff. The question is, are you comfortable with the new CBA paying two players $600 million over the course of their contracts? Are you comfortable in two years if you keep this group together, essentially being hamstrung to make transactions because they’re at the second apron with the new CBA?”
After making the 2023 All-NBA second team, Brown became eligible for the Designated Veteran Extension, also known as the supermax, which would allow the Celtics to pay him 35% of their cap. Assuming Brown would sign the supermax contract extension, he would be set to earn approximately $290 million over five years.
Analyst Floats Trading Brown for LaMelo Ball
During a May 30 article for The Ringer, NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor shared his thoughts on why a Jaylen Brown for LaMelo Ball could be a solid trade for the Celtics, should they decide to move on from the All-Star wing.
Erik Spoelstra seemed to have an endless supply of tactics up his sleeve, whereas Joe Mazzulla had no backup plans. On offense, the Celtics knew how to play one way. On defense, all year they didn’t use zone and didn’t get reps with aggressive P&R schemes.
“If the Hornets plan on taking Henderson with the no. 2 pick, I’d hit them up to ask about LaMelo Ball,” O’Connor wrote. “He developed some bad habits under Steve Clifford last season. Maybe the Hornets would want to shuffle the deck and pay Brown rather than pay LaMelo for an imperfect backcourt fit.”
Malcolm Brogdon Rues Celtics Lack of Defense
When speaking to the media following the Celtics’ May 29 loss to Miami, veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon was asked about the team’s defense and how they had moved away from their identity of last season.
“I don’t think you win championships with a better offense than you do a defense… on any given night we’d let go of the rope.”
Malcolm Brogdon on Celtics not being able to find their defensive identity
“It was THE issue,” Brogdon said. “I think this was a team in the last year that prided themselves on defense. I think defense was our calling card. This year offense was our calling card. I don’t think you win championships with a high … with a better offense than you have a defense.”
The Celtics will have all summer to look back on their failed postseason run ahead of getting back to work in preseason and looking to regain their identity as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Although, there’s no telling what the roster will look like by that point.
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Analyst Questions Jaylen Brown’s Potential to Hamstring Celtics With New Contract