Celtics Reportedly Signing Jaylen Brown To Supermax Was No-Brainer

The Boston Celtics reportedly signing Jaylen Brown to a supermax extension was a no-brainer move.

Because regardless if you think Brown can’t dribble or regardless if you think Jayson Tatum and Brown are too similar to ever win a championship together, opting to not retain Brown on the supermax was never the right answer. At the very least, it would have been fumbling the organization’s second-biggest asset.

Boston didn’t do that, though. The Celtics were able to give Brown more than any other team, and that’s reportedly what they accomplished Tuesday with a historic extension of five years and $304 million.

Sure, the sticker shock and annual salary breakdown is mind-blowing. But if the Celtics really get two or three years down the road and don’t win with Tatum and Brown — a huge if, by the way — Brown almost certainly will be still be tradeable. Even at an average annual value of a cool $60 million or more. That’s the NBA landscape. And his deal won’t be the richest in NBA history for long.

Of note, upon signing his supermax extension Brown can’t be traded during the 2023-24 campaign. He’ll play on a base salary of $28.5 million next year.

Brown became supermax eligible after he landed on the All-NBA second team during the 2022-23 campaign. It was his first time earning the recognition of a top-15 player in the league. And he was well-deserving of it. Brown, during his age-26 season, averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. All three were career-best numbers, along with his 49.1% from the floor and nearly 36 minutes per contest. He took his game to another level.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed the organization was all-in on keeping Brown for the future. He’s just reaching the prime of his career, after all. And with Tatum and Brown leading the way, along with Kristaps Porzingis, Boston should remain among the favorites for an NBA championship. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Green +470 to win the title and +210 to win the Eastern Conference, sitting on the top betting line in both markets. Now it’s up to them to deliver Banner 18.

The splurge for Brown almost certainly will be the first of two for the Celtics. Tatum is eligible for his own supermax extension next July after being an All-NBA First Team selection each of the last two seasons. Tatum can command an even bigger extension than Brown.

The Celtics surely will make the decision to do that. Just like they did with Brown. And that will be a no-brainer much like this one, as well.