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Newest Detail About the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement Has Direct Impact on Celtics' Negotiations with Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown put together the best regular season of his career this campaign, generating 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, all career highs. He also swiped 1.1 steals per contest.
Brown's evolved into a mid-range assassin with a jump shot stuck on automatic, the handles to get to his spot, and the poise to play under control.
Marcus Smart expressed the following about the seventh-year wing's maturation after the Celtics' 130-121 win over the Wizards on Thanksgiving weekend.
"A little story: When Jaylen first got here, he used to go one-on-five, one-on-four, just throw up some expletive. We would look at him like, ‘Jaylen, what are you doing?’ And his excuse to us — or his reasoning was, ‘When everyone is telling me to slow down, the defense hears that, so I’m going to speed up.’ And we were like, ‘No, no, no, that doesn’t make any sense,'" conveyed Smart.
"He’s using more of his grace now to where he’s understanding that sometimes, just being patient and let(ting) the game come to (him) instead of just trying to go get it," Smart stated. "I think that part of his game has grown exponentially for us. He’s patient with the ball, making his reads, taking his shots, when to pick his spots, when to go put his head down, and on the defensive end."
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Brown earned his second All-Star Game selection this season. If he makes an All-NBA team, he becomes eligible for a five-year, $290 million veteran supermax extension this summer. His doing so is Boston's best bet to re-sign him before his current contract expires.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can begin talks with their free agents one day after the last game of the Finals, potentially weeks earlier than currently allowed.
That could prove significant if Brown doesn't earn All-NBA honors this season. In that scenario, the most the Celtics can offer him is four years, $189 million.
While contractual negotiations would be pretty straightforward, Brown's made it clear that's not the only factor in determining what team he'll sign his next contract with.
So, while the most likely outcome is he earns an All-NBA selection and signs a veteran supermax extension this summer, if that doesn't happen, having more time to negotiate with Brown could help ensure a deal gets done before he reaches the open market.
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The former California Golden Bear went to the Eastern Conference Finals four of his first six years in the NBA. He led Boston in scoring in the Finals last season, averaging 23.5 points on the league's brightest stage.
Yet, shortly after the series ended, Brown again heard his name mentioned in trade rumors, this time regarding the possibility of a deal centered around him and Kevin Durant.
Celtics' president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, flew to LA to reassure their star wing that wasn't happening. And when those rumors reignited near this year's All-Star break, team owner Wyc Grousbeck told Brown the same message.
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Making sure the latter knows that having him in Boston is essential to how the Celtics plan on contending for future championships, as Jayson Tatum did on a conference call Brown organized after Tatum's workout with Durant amid those summer trade rumors went viral, is vital to their ability to make that come to fruition.
Not that the organization's waiting to reinforce that message until it's time to negotiate an extension or his next contract, but having more time where they're the only team that can talk with him is something his current franchise will appreciate if All-NBA voting doesn't go Brown's way this summer.
Further Reading
Despite the Familiarity of Title Contention, Jayson Tatum Doesn't Take Celtics' Success for Granted
The Celtics Are Pushing Robert Williams to Take His Offense to the Next Level
Joe Mazzulla Provides Injury Updates on Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart
Al Horford Thinks Celtics Need to Improve on Defense for Playoffs
Jaylen Brown on His Relationship with Jayson Tatum: 'We’re a Part of Each Other’s Destiny'
