Jayson Tatum (L) and Jaylen Brown (R) are both up for Supermax contracts with the Boston Celtics.LAPRESSE
Jaylen Brown‘s rise to stardom has been exponential and explosive. Even as a rookie, Brown showed signs of brilliance. And he has gotten better every season he’s been in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics have benefited greatly from Brown’s development into an All-Star. He has helped lead the team to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals, and has stayed loyal to Boston throughout. But it’s that loyalty that may push him out of the city.
Brown is back from a Europe trip and the two sides will re-engage in contract extension talks this week.
It’s expected that they will agree on a deal soon, but could the Celtics be second-guessing the decision?
What is the “Supermax” contract Jaylen Brown could get?
In 2017, the NBA introduced the “Designated Veteran Player Extension”, more commonly known as the “Supermax”. This provision allows teams to offer more money than is legally allowed with a “Max” contract if they want to retain their own players and sign them to an extension. Only the team that originally drafted the player or traded for him while he was on a rookie contract can offer this.
Not many players qualify for this special contract, though.. First, they have to be entering at least their eighth season in the NBA. Secondly, they must have achieved one of the following.
- Been named to the All-NBA team (at any level) in either the season immediately before signing the extension, or two of the three previous seasons.
- Been named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in either the season immediately before signing the extension, or two of the three previous seasons.
- Been named NBA MVP at least once in the previous three seasons.
Are the Celtics having second thoughts?
Having made the All-NBA Second Team in 2023, Brown triggered his Supermax eligibility, which is great news for him and conflicting news for the Celtics. Brown’s possible contract could now be worth up to $304 million over five years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. It would be the richest contract in NBA history.
While it allows Boston to be able to offer Brown more money and a more compelling deal than the competition, it also means Boston would be absorbing a 35% salary cap hit on just one player.
In addition, Brown’s teammate, Jayson Tatum, will be eligible for the Supermax the following offseason since he was named to the All-NBA First Team in both 2022 and 2023.
This means that in order to keep Brown and Tatum, the Celtics would have to allot 70% of their total cap room to just two players. Doing so would leave them financially hamstrung when filling out the rest of their roster.
It’s up to the front office to decide if it’s the right decision for the team as a whole. Odds are they will end up deciding that it is. But in the off chance that they don’t, we could see Brown in a different jersey next season.
