Celtics Rumors: Expectation Of Jaylen Brown’s ‘Fragile’ Extension

The Boston Celtics have yet to address the Jaylen Brown supermax item on their offseason agenda, however, the wheels might be in motion.

Brown, who did his part in earning All-NBA honors this past season, became eligible for a five-year extension worth nearly $300 million after averaging a career-best 26.6 points per game on 49.1% shooting from the field. But the C’s have yet to do their part with Brown in pulling the trigger and reaching an agreement, begging the question: will Boston retain Brown for the hefty price tag?

“The sides are talking. This is obviously a very important, fragile deal,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Monday on SportsCenter. “I know that there’s interest on both sides to get something done and I would expect it to head in that direction. The one thing to point out: if Jaylen Brown does extend on this deal, he cannot be traded for a year.”

That final tidbit should certainly be the cherry on top for Brown considering how last offseason unfolded. The 26-year-old went through the wringer of a media frenzy after Brown was linked to a trade from Boston in exchange for Kevin Durant, who at the time played for the Brooklyn Nets. Therefore, having that assurance for a year would be a major plus, especially after watching the Celtics move on from Marcus Smart, the team’s former longest-tenured player.

As for the delay in securing Brown, Windhorst chalked that up to Boston’s need to handle its remaining “business” in other areas before committing.

“The Celtics probably wanna make sure all their business is locked down before going into this,” Windhorst explained. “They also have had talks about trading Malcolm Brogdon, they almost made a deal with the (Los Angeles) Clippers before the draft. Brogdon may still be on the market. And they have Grant Williams, who’s a restricted free agent, who they may or may not be able to bring back.”

The Celtics did fall just a game short of reaching the NBA Finals, coming off an appearance in 2022. Having already committed to a new-look roster heading into the 2023-24 campaign, providing Brown with the commitment after an already distraction-filled year, could definitely pay off for the Celtics in the long run moving forward.

We’ve yet to get a glimpse of what the Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis look like leading the Celtics, but considering the youth and star power in place, keeping Boston’s potential next “Big Three” would be ideal in stepping toward raising Banner 18.