Jaylen Brown will become eligible for a $141.9 million contract extension later this summer. The Boston Celtics forward is coming off the best season of his career.
However, the extension wouldn’t kick in until 2029, when Brown will be entering his age-33 season. So, Brad Stevens must decide whether now is the time to commit north of $70 million per year to a version of Brown that is still three years out.
According to Evan Turner, who spoke with Heavy on Sports via BestOnlineCasino, Brown may have some soul-searching to do before pushing for the extension to be offered.
“I think the Celtics will reward him in that sense for his work,” Turner said. “I can see him being a top-10, top-15 player, and an NBA All-Star (next season). Averaging 25, 26 points per game. He takes very good care of his body; he competes at a high level. I don’t think he’s ever really had any history of being injured. Not even the stuff that scares everybody, the soft tissue injuries.”
Turner continued.
“I think him going into that negotiation, and having real conversations on if he wants to be there and if that’s what he really wants. Because when people sit there and say, ‘I want to be in Boston forever.’ All right, cool. We’re going to put this down on the table if you really want to be in Boston forever. Or, do you want to explore the hypotheticals?”
The Boston Celtics Could Trade Jaylen Brown
Before any negotiations over contract extensions take place, the Celtics may explore Brown’s trade value. Since Boston was eliminated in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Brown has been floated in multiple trade rumors.
The most persistent of those rumors has seen his name floated as a potential makeweight in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. A deal between the Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks would be fairly straightforward if Brown was involved, at least from a salary-matching standpoint.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the Celtics are interested in trading for Giannis. Furthermore, Stevens may prefer to continue building around Brown and Jayson Tatum, rather than breaking up the core.
Nevertheless, until those rumors are put to bed, it’s hard to envision the Celtics offering Brown an extension.
The Celtics Need To Improve The Roster
Regardless of what happens with Brown this summer, Stevens will undoubtedly be focused on improving the current roster. Boston has gaps at both the point guard and center positions.
Fortunately, the Celtics have plenty of avenues to explore in their search for upgrades. Stevens has the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception at his disposal. He also has a $27.7 million traded player exception courtesy of the deal that sent Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline.
Of course, the Celtics also have some younger talents and tradable contracts to work with.
With that being said, right now, only one thing is certain: Boston’s roster will likely look very different by the start of next season. Whether Brown is part of that roster will remain to be seen.
Jaylen Brown Receives Honest Advice on Potential Celtics Extension