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The future of Jaylen Brown has been an early focus of the Celtics offseason amid trade rumors and eye-opening comments following Boston’s first-round postseason exit.
Brown downplayed suggestions that he was frustrated in Boston after Tracy McGrady’s comments and hinted he hoped his long-term future would remain in Boston.
“I hate that our president of basketball operations even had to respond to this,” Brown said back on May 6. “Me and Brad have a great relationship. I love Boston. And if it was up to me I could play in Boston for the next 10 years.”
Those remarks serve as a fascinating backdrop to a major decision the Celtics front office has looming this July. The team is eligible to offer Brown a two-year extension on July 26, which would extend his deal through the 2030-31 season.
Brown currently still has three years left on his supermax contract that he signed in July 2023 for $304 million. There are no options on the deal that runs through the 2028-29 season.
Current deal
2026-27: $57.1 million
2027-28: $61 million
2028-29: $64.95 million
Here’s a look at what Brown’s max contract extension offer would look like based on current cap projections:
Extension offer
(Age 33) 2029-30: $66.85 million (35 percent of cap)
(Age 34) 2030-31: $72.2 million (36 percent of cap)
Total: $139 million
Giving out max extensions to players with three years left on their deal has been a bit of rarity in recent years. The Blazers handed Damian Lillard a two-year max extension back in 2022 before trading him away to the Milwaukee Bucks one year later. The Bucks went on to stretch-and-waive the final two years of Lillard’s contract last summer after he tore his Achilles. Lillard was 31 when he signed the two-year extension with Portland, two years older than Brown is now.
Devin Booker also got a two-year, max extension last July at age 28 with three years left on his deal that was worth $145 million. When added to his current terms, the total value of his contract with the Suns was $316 million over five years.
That deal is likely what Brown’s reps will point to when making the case that the Celtics star is worthy of a max extension this summer. Booker is a five-time All-Star and the centerpiece of the Suns franchise but Brown’s offensive numbers in recent years surpass Booker. He’s also widely accepted as a better defender.
Still, it would be a surprise to see one team’s decision with a sometimes All-Star influence Boston’s future plans with Brown. Brad Stevens is no stranger to extensions but giving out that type of money to a 33-year-old is far from a no brainer. Adding that type of long-term commitment is more likely to hurt than help Brown’s trade value in the present even after his standout regular season in 2025-26.
Quite simply, there’s no sense of urgency here from a Celtics standpoint to do an extension now beyond just appeasing Brown. That’s not going to be the impetus for Stevens’ next big deal. He’s got bigger decisions to make for the present and making a decision on Brown’s long-term future doesn’t help him on that front. For that reason, don’t expect an extension to be among Stevens’ priorities this summer.
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