Getty Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
A huge concern among Boston Celtics fans this off-season has been around Jaylen Brown’s long-term future with the franchise.
After being linked in yet another trade for a superstar, a large portion of the fan base believed that Brown could be biding his time before looking for a way out of Boston once his current contract expires in two years.
However, according to an NBA Executive who spoke to Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett under the condition of anonymity, there is a belief that Brown would happily remain with the Celtics, should they show him the respect he deserves during future contract negotiations.
Three conference finals and an NBA Finals appearance in five years together for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics future and present is bright.
“I think Jaylen IS (committed) long term. If they want him long-term and they’re going to pay him the contract he deserves, I think he’s all-in on Boston. From everything I’ve been told, Jaylen’s a loyal guy. I know frustration can happen when things aren’t going well, and I think we saw some of that earlier in this past season.
But when you take a step back and look at things, I think he wants to be there. And any problems that could ever happen with that relationship would probably have to come from him getting the idea that they’re not in on him. And right now I don’t see that from the Celtics. I think they know what they have in Jaylen — now and for the future — and they want to keep that going,” The executive told Bulpett.
Brown has been heavily linked with a trade to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a potential deal to bring Kevin Durant to Boston, however, it remains unclear if Brad Stevens is truly interested in making the trade happen, or if a lot of this is posturing from Brooklyn.
Jaylen Brown Continues to Improve
Since entering the NBA Jaylen Brown has been one of the rare players whose development has occurred in a linear fashion. That is, his skillset has continued to improve year on year, with the Georgia native continually building upon his improvements.
This past season, Brown proved himself to be one of the better play finishers in the NBA – capable of scoring off the catch, rip-through, or pull-up, while also being one of the better slashers in the league.
Still working my way through last night’s game. But Jaylen Brown operating as a play finisher in the 1st quarter is exactly what I’ve been so vocal about this year. He’s borderline unstoppable when he embraces that role
Throughout his 66 regular-season games, Brown averaged 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while shooting 47.3% from the field and 35.8% from deep. However, it was Brown’s performances during the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors that displayed his undoubted talent, as he rose to the occasion and was unquestionably the Celtics’ best offensive weapon, averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the field.
Kendrick Perkins Believes Celtics Should Trade Brown
Being listed as a potential trade candidate whenever a superstar becomes available can’t be easy for Brown – and having reports surface that the franchise actually offered you as part of a package must be a tough pill to swallow. It’s those reports that have fans concerned about Brown’s commitment to remaining in Boston long-term, something which former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins also believes could be an issue.
“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.