Jaylen Brown will be a free-agent next summer and pressure is mounting on the Boston Celtics to win a championship from now to next year which is very possible but it is also possible they could lose from now to next year as well. I’d bank on the Celtics picking up at least 1 of the next 2 titles just because Jayson Tatum has taken his game to new heights and is now arguably a top 5 player in the NBA and favorite for the KIA NBA MVP award as well this season. Jaylen Brown has gone from a super raw athlete much like Jimmy Butler was early on his first 2-3 years and has developed into one of the top 5 shooting guards in the NBA at this present moment. Aside from Devin Booker and James Harden how many more shooting guards in the NBA are at the level of a Jaylen Brown? Not many, a debate could be made for DeMar DeRozan as well but Jaylen Brown separates himself from DeMar due to his edge on defense.
I’d say the only way Jaylen Brown ever considers leaving the Boston Celtics would be if they don’t win a championship from now to next year which is something I would not bet against but their are questions regarding the supporting cast now GM Brad Stevens has put around his 2 young superstars. The Malcolm Brogdon acquisition was an absolute chess move which has payed off for the Celtics grandly this season; and anyone who watched the Celtics gets dismantled by the Warriors in last year’s Finals would understand why they went after a guard the caliber of a Malcolm Brogdon; who has given them that extra punch off the bench they severely lacked against the Warriors.
I came away disappointed by Jaylen Brown’s performance in the Finals as well; although the lone 2 games they won in that series he was the main catalyst and after the series was over most were arguing for the Celtics to run the offense more through Jaylen going into this current season. Jaylen Brown doesn’t give any indication he wants out of Boston at this current moment but we must remember he did feel slighted not too long ago due to his name being brought up in trade rumors for practically the past 2 seasons. I would also take offense to rumors of a dream scenario of Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum in Boston if I was Jaylen but it’s ultimately up to him to prove the naysayers wrong and prove himself to be on the level of a Bradley Beal.
This sort of scenario reminds me the former young duo of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady leading up the 2000’s. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady were both cousins in Toronto; and most thought the Raptors were getting ready to trot out what would’ve been one of the top 5 duos in NBA history had McGrady not elected to embark on his own path towards superstardom in Orlando. One Jaylen isn’t as young as Tracy was when he embarked for Orlando and two he won’t be able to replicate or let alone become the level of player McGrady was in his prime in Orlando, which was one of the top 5 players in the game at that time and arguably the most skilled offensive player the NBA had ever seen. Reality is any GM with brain cells would know yes he’s worthy of a max contract but he is not nor can he be the face of your franchise. I believe Jaylen knows his place, that being said I think he’ll be bleeding green beyond 2024.
D-NBA 