Celtics star Jaylen Brown is reportedly staying put in Boston for a while. Per multiple reports, Brown and the Celtics have agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax extension that is the richest contract in NBA history.
Brown’s deal surpasses the $264 million deal reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets signed last summer.
The No. 3 pick of the 2016 Draft, Brown averaged a career bests in points (26.6), rebounds (6.9) and assists (3.5) per game in 2022-23. A two-time All-Star, Brown helped the Celtics reach four Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals (2022) in his seven seasons with the team.
Brown, 26, was eligible for a new deal this offseason, and by virtue of making the All-NBA second team this season.
The league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement brought more limitations on how teams construct their rosters and additional luxury tax penalties. However, making a commitment to Brown was important for the the Celtics.
“I’ve had nothing but great conversations with Jaylen,” team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in June. “I can say, without a doubt, we want Jaylen to be here. He’s a big part of us. We believe in him and I’m thankful for him. … I’m really thankful that when those guys have success they come back to work. And when they get beat, they own it and they come back to work. And so I know that’s what they’re about. And that’s hard to find.”
The Celtics have been busy in the offseason. They began their summer by trading away popular guard and former Kia Defensive Player of the Year winner Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal that brought former All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. They also dealt defensive-minded forward Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal that landed the Celtics three future second-round picks.
While Brown was stellar in the regular season, his stats dipped in the playoffs. Although he got off to a strong start in the first round, averaging 26.7 ppg on 54.1% shooting against the Atlanta Hawks, his performance wasn’t as strong in the East semifinals vs. the Philadelphia 76ers and he struggled in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
With fellow star Jayson Tatum reeling from an ankle sprain he sustained early in Game 7 of the East Finals, Brown had a disastrous night. He scored 19 points but shot just 8 -of-23 from the field with eight turnovers.
After that showing, thoughts of his future were the furthest thing from his mind.
“We failed. I failed,” Brown said. “It’s hard to think about anything else right now, to be honest. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Asked about his thought process entering this summer, he said that also is foggy at this point.
“I don’t even really know how to answer that question right now,” Brown said. “My thought process is take it one day at a time, focus on getting better. Focus on what the future holds and see where we are from there.”
?Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
