The Boston Celtics received some tremendous news Wednesday night, though their pockets will soon be a little bit lighter.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were both named All-NBA players Wednesday, with Tatum earning his third selection and Brown his first. It was the first time the Celtics had two All-NBA selections in the same season since Kevin Garnett (first team) and Paul Pierce (third team) in 2007-08.
They also just both made a ton of money.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks pointed out, the selections for Tatum and Brown made them both eligible for supermax contract extensions. That puts Tatum in line for a five-year, $318 million extension in 2025 and Brown in line for a five-year, $295 million extension in 2024. One might wonder how paying more money for home-grown stars is a good thing. Well, here’s how.
Tatum and Brown are only eligible to make this kind of money should they extend with the Celtics, as any contract offered by another team once free agency hits would be more than $10 million lighter per season. That heavily incentivizes both men to remain in Boston for the long haul, as they are not eligible to be traded for at least one season after signing the deal.
The Celtics are now in the driver’s seat when it comes to keeping both of their superstars.
