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The Boston Celtics have made some big moves this offseason, but the move that everyone was waiting for was Jaylen Brown's extension with the team. After earning a spot on the All-NBA second-team for the 2022-23 season, Brown became eligible for a five-year, $304 million supermax extension with the C's, and after a few weeks of negotiations, the two sides finalized that deal on Tuesday morning.
The money doesn't appear to have been the issue between the two sides, but some of the finer points required some negotiation. Brown doesn't get a player option in the fifth year of this deal, but he does receive a 15 percent trade kicker should the Celtics move him. Once all that was squared away, Brown signed the largest contract in NBA history.
While Brown is undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA, there were many fans who were skeptical of handing him such a large deal, especially with the league's new CBA coming into play. Keeping Brown in town makes sense, but the price here is astronomically high, so it begs the question; did the Celtics make a mistake in handing Brown this extension?
Did the Celtics make the right call with Jaylen Brown's extension?
Brown is coming off the best season of his career for the Celtics (26.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 49.1 FG%, 33.5 3P%), taking the next step forward in his development to turn himself into one of the best pure scorers in the games. Brown increased his shot volume last season, taking a career-high 20.6 shots per game, but his 49.1 field goal percentage is also the highest mark of his career.
The pairing of Brown and Jayson Tatum is arguably the best duo in the entire NBA, and with this extension, the Celtics are putting all their eggs in the basket of Brown and Tatum. Despite Brown constantly being involved in trade rumors (pretty much up until the point he put pen to paper on this deal) the front office decided that he and Tatum offer Boston the best chance to raise Banner 18 at TD Garden.
From a pure basketball perspective, Brown and Tatum seem like the perfect pair to lead the Celtics to glory. Brown will only turn 27 in October, meaning this deal will keep him in Boston throughout the entirety of his prime. Tatum is also just 25 years old, and he will be eligible for the same extension Brown just got next offseason.
Having two of the best players in the game locked up on long-term deals seems like an optimal way to build a contender, but to this point, Brown and Tatum haven't proven capable of leading the Celtics to that ever-elusive title. Granted, these guys are both still very young and have room to grow, but this is a massive $304 million risk that the C's are taking.
For the most part, Brown has been the weaker of this duo when the playoffs roll around. In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Brown's scoring went down (22.7 PPG) and his turnovers spiked up to 3.3 per game, compared to just 3.4 assists per game. Brown was particularly awful in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat (19 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 41.8 FG%, 16.3 3P%, 3.6 TOPG), leading many fans to wonder whether he could actually be the piece the Celtics need him to be in their championship quest.
Brown has improved as a scorer and willing rebounder over his career, and he's always been a strong defender, but the final piece to his game is his playmaking. We have seen him make strides before, only to regress in frustrating fashion. When Tatum suffered a sprained ankle seconds into Game 7 of the ECF against the Heat, Brown wasn't capable of putting the team on his back to pick up the slack.
When the pressure rises, and defenses increase the pressure on Brown, he's faltered early on in his career. In a sense, handing a $304 million contract to a guy like that is an extremely frightening proposition. Brown has already been in the NBA for seven seasons now; will he ever be able to put the finishing touches on his development?
But when you consider the other options the Celtics had at their disposal, it becomes clear that this was the best move to keep their championship window wide open. For as good as Brown and Tatum are, it's tough to remember just how young they are. Greatness is rightfully expected of them, but greatness takes time.
With this extension, though, the Celtics are making it clear that the clock is ticking for this pair to figure things out. Five years is a long time, but if Boston doesn't manage to win a championship during this window, Brown's deal will be considered a failure. It's a big risk for Boston, but handing their star forward this extension was their only real move, and time will tell whether or not they made the right call by investing a big chunk of their future in Brown.
