Recent developments have boosted the stock of Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston points out.
An already watered down free agent class for next summer took another hit when the Nets signed Caris LeVert to an extension on Monday. Brown will be a restricted free agent if, as anticipated, the Celtics extend a $8,573,696 qualifying offer after the upcoming season.
They can try to reach a rookie scale extension agreement with Brown prior to 2019/20’s opening night, though the price tag would likely be significantly higher than the three-year, $52.5MM offer that LeVert accepted. As Forsberg notes, Brown is two years younger and doesn’t have an injury history, unlike LeVert.
Brown has also excelled with Team USA during exhibitions prior to the FIBA World Cup. He’s averaging nearly 12 points a game while shooting 71.4% from the field. He’s third on the team in scoring behind Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell.
Brown had already shown a knack for increasing his production when the stakes are high. In the NBA playoffs the past two seasons, Brown averaged 18.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 2017/18 and 13.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 2018/19.
If Brown has a solid season in 2019/20, he might get a giant offer sheet from a team that views him as a major piece to their puzzle. The Celtics would then have to decide whether to match it, having already invested heavily in Walker and knowing Jayson Tatum‘s potential free agency is just around the corner.
Since the price tag on Brown is probably already high, there isn’t much risk for the Celtics to allow Brown to test restricted free agency, Forsberg adds.
I gotta think Ainge is going to offer an extension at only a slightly discounted rate. The market next summer is going to be stupid for this kid, even if he plays ok this season. Look at what the Kings gave Barnes.
The Kings are exactly the type of team to offer Brown a mega deal.
Has loads of potential, but i feel like its a risk with Jaylen.
I like him a lot as a player (and I’m a Pac 12 guy), but he just doesn’t strike me as a $120m+ max kind of guy.
Lol… I hope they do max him. Whatever keeps the Cs on the outside looking in. Good player, not a max player.
Barring some sort of major trade to acquire a superstar the Celtics HAVE to find a way to keep Brown. He’s shown star potential at times and with their current ‘core’ they really cannot afford to lose him for nothing. It’s a risk that they may have to overpay BUT I think it’s one they don’t really have a choice in, they need Jaylen (and they need him to live up to his potential — but more immediately… they need him to stay in Boston and not risk letting him walk for nothing!)
Jeff-anytime I read the “they have no choice, they can’t lose him for nothing “ argument, my radar goes off. I don’t have a dog in this fight-not a Celtics fan, don’t care one way or the other. But the NBA is littered with bad contracts, many of which are given to players because their teams felt they had no choice. And then a year or two later, the teams are attaching draft assets to get the bad contract sent away.
Brown may be worth it, whatever Danny offers. But there is a choice, because cap room is valuable in this league, the chance to pounce on a suddenly available star is valuable , etc. Bad contracts drag down a team. So the Cs have a choice… now, what should they do with it?
Definitely dont want to pay brown a max or near max deal without the production to merit it. But hes also garaunteed to get a deal like that if he even just treads at his current stats and efficiency, something he’s been able to do the past two years. Certainly dont want to lose him for nothing either, wouldnt be surprised to see him get shopped and possibly moved even if its not in a major trade. Saddling yourself with brown at his current numbers for max money is unpalatable, some improvement, either within efficiency or volume or both needs to be made before that happens. Really love brown as a player and from what he sounds like as a person would love to see him to put up the numbers to justify the deal, but if its another 15ish 45%fgish 35p%ish id be firm on jae crowder production gets jae crowder money lols
It’s interesting, I really like Jaylen, he’s good on D and on offence and deserves good money. But the team just paid Kemba, it already has Marcus Smart who is a better defender and leader than Jaylen and still has to pay Tatum soon. Not to mention the Sam just draft Romeo Langford another SG who doesn’t shoot the ball great.
Jaylen only averages 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal over his career which isn’t great. In comparison Marcus Smart career averages are 9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals.
Jaylen is more efficient and a better shooter than Smart, but Smart is much better on D, can create for other on attack and is still a threat when shooting. Smart is also only getting a cheap 12.5 mil.
Personally I would rather start Smart and I think he will win you more games, and wait on paying Jaylen to soon or to much. I think his value is really high which makes resigning him not cheap and if you were to trade him he would be very valuable, which wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Personally I would use Brown (1 year deal) to get rid of Haywood (30 mil+ /2 years+). Obviously the teams biggest needs are PF and C and then some depth.
I think Aaron Gordan, Terrance Ross and Mo Bamba would be a great return for these two. Gordan and Bamba still both really young and fill PF and C. Both are good on D and attack. Terrance Ross makes salarys match but also is great off the bench at the 2/3 positions.
1. Walker. Edwards. Randle
2. Smart. Langford
3. Tatum. Ross. Olejeye
4. Gordan. Williams. Theis
5. Kanter. Bamba. Fall
Lastly to balance the team better, I would look for another PG to compete with Edwards and for depth Chasson Randle could be a good pick up
Man you really are interested in trading GordOn & Bamba… at every opportunity you try to, you must not like Orlando, right?
Yeah not a Magic fan. I do like Gordan and Bamba tho. The Magic just have to many players at the 4/5 positions. I also think Boston kinda failed in letting Irving, Morris and Horford leave and getting in Kemba and Kanter. That’s a lot of experience and defence gone. I think bring in Gordon and Bamba along side Smart and Tatum gives them a good foundation for the future. You have Smart (great on D and leader), Tatum (good two way all round talent), Gordan (athletic do it all PF) and Bamba who is kinda mystery. Bamba has a lot of potential as a centre that can block shots, score in many ways and play fast. All of a sudden this team is a lot younger and exciting.
And for the Magic you have Haywood, Vuce and Fournier winning you games and young players like Brown, Fultz and Issacs coming through and developing.
And he spells Gordon’s name wrong. Every time.
Oh, he also spells Hayward’s name wrong. Every time.
Think it’s Terrence* Ross as well, not Terrance.
Who really cares, you know who I’m talking about
GordOn HaywARd
Yeah, Brown will turn everything down, and plan to be the catch of 2020.
Guys like Jaylen Brown are why I’m not a fan of max contracts. I understand why they’re in existence, but it just waters down the market when a bunch of good-not-great players are making max money because they have the leverage of their teams not wanting them to leave without compensation.
It’s a lot like why slightly above average quarterbacks can still score a $100 million deal.
How is that exactly Brown’s fault? His value is determined by market fluctuations, exact same as Property. Supply vs Demand.
Ain’t JB’s fault, but the reality is that he is very far away from even been all-star level, might even never be, so he will be a clear & obvious overpay, make no mistake about it!
The problem is that the NBA and the players union artificially set a max. If they just let teams and agents work out contracts, you’d have maybe 20 guys making stupid money ($40+) and then everyone else would earn $5 million a year or less. A whole bunch of role players and a handful of big money guys.
And if the NBA got rid of guaranteed contracts, only the healthy elite players would get paid.
But then the average player earns the minimum, and the union doesn’t like that. And teams are beholden to a superstar, and owners don’t like that. So, we have the current system.
Has Ainge totally blown the window of opportunity the Celtics had at one point? I mean a couple years ago the way they were set-up, they were to be a power of Eastern Conference for a long time. Now, not so much…
Ainge may need to hit the road before he becomes Joe Dumars. Gets alotta slack considering the Nets trade (well just that rebuild in General rondo and Jeff green deal as well) but 1 title after what 20 years? That single title is starting to look oddly lonely.
I think whenever a player’s trade value becomes higher than his current and future value to the team, a trade should be strongly considered. This may be the case with JB right now.
As a GM, I wouldn’t go significantly higher than LeVert’s number to lock Brown up early, at least in terms of annual salary (maybe give him an extra year(s)). Brown has played a lot, but hasn’t been able to consistently get true starter minutes. Next year he should be penciled into that type of role, as well as being a higher end offensive option. I wouldn’t fear him having a breakout year in that expanded role and earning a max offer sheet. In fact, as a GM, I’d welcome it – the year (of course) and (even) having to match a max offer sheet. At least vs paying 75% of max in advance. Brown at 20 mm or 28 mm kills any future cap space (assuming Tatum comes on the books for big $$ when Hayward comes off). I’d rather know it’s been killed for a high end starter.
If you are a team giving Jalen Brown a max deal, you aren’t a very good team. I am a C’s fan and a Jalen Brown fan, but he is not the guy for that kind of deal. Good player, lots of room for development, high ceiling but wow what some kids are getting paid.