Jaylen Brown had one of his worst games of the season as the Boston Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs on Monday night, which has led many fans to question whether he is worth a supermax extension. One top NBA insider believes the Celtics have already made up their minds.
Brian Windhorst discussed Brown’s future with the Celtics during the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday morning. The longtime ESPN reporter said he would be “stunned” if this is the end of the road for Brown in Boston.
“Some people are asking if this is (Brown and Jayson Tatum’s) last game as teammates. I would be stunned. In talking to people on both sides, I think there’s a very good chance they’re gonna find (common) ground,” Windhorst said.
Windhorst was specifically saying that he would be shocked if Brown and Jayson Tatum have played their last game together. Brown has one more year remaining on his current contract, though he is eligible for a $295 million supermax extension after being named an All-Pro. If the Celtics are planning to trade him, they would get the most value by doing so this summer. They still could deal him before next February’s deadline, however.
If the Celtics do want to extend Brown, it is possible that he could accept something between the five-year, $290 million supermax and the four-year, $190 million regular max extension. Though, Brown has indicated he wants the full amount.
Brown was miserable in Boston’s Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night, so there is bound to be some recency bias, at least from fans. He scored 19 points on just 8-of-23 shooting and turned the ball over a whopping eight times. The Celtics needed Brown to step up on a night where Tatum rolled his ankle early on, but Brown did the opposite.
All that said, the Celtics were just one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for a second straight season. It does not sound like they are planning to make drastic changes this summer.
