Celtics Schedule 2023 Playoffs – One of the main factors constantly brought up throughout the Kevin Durant saga was Jaylen Brown’s future with the Boston Celtics. He has two years left on his contract, but he will extend it. He doesn’t want to sign one anytime soon, though, and he has nothing to do with the team.
I spoke with NBA cap expert Keith Smith and Spotrak about the Celtics players who should be extended over the next two seasons. In addition to Brown, Grant Williams, Al Horford and Peyton Pritchard were included in the conversation. But of course it all started with a star wing.
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First, Smith explained why Brown won’t sign an extension this summer or next. If it did, it would leave millions of dollars on the table.
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“An extension right now is not favorable to Jaylen Brown. It has nothing to do with the Celtics. The Celtics want to extend him today. Since he is not on one of the designated player extensions, Brown will not be able to extend to the max like we usually see other guys…so Brown should make $30.7 million here. last year, in the 2023-24 season. What he can do with that number is he can raise 120% or 20% for three years. I today he can. That makes his number, say, $36.9 million in 2024-25, $39.8 million in 2025-26, then $42.7 million in 2026-27. The three-year extension totals $119.5 million dollars. If Brown waits to become a free agent, his first year salary will be $42.9 million. So $42.9 million, you know, that’s about $6 million more than what he could have made in the extension, and then you add to the upside from there and we’ll go from there.That’s why he won’t do the standard veteran extension this summer.
Expecting to become a free agent in two years, Brown will make significantly more money on his next contract. While Boston wants to sign a new contract as soon as possible, it would be financially irresponsible to sign a new deal now.
The good news for Celtics fans is that Boston is said to be able to offer him more money than any other team on the market. So teams hoping to steal Brown in free agency are immediately at a disadvantage. Smith noted that the starting salary would be the same as where he signs, and the Celtics could offer him better raises and an extra year on his contract.
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“If he goes to another team, the starting salary is the same, which is still $42.9 million. The difference is that it can only be a four-year contract, and only an increase of 5%. So you’re looking at a maximum of four years, $184.5 million. So even if you go from four years to four years, he’d be giving up $7.7 [million] total, but that’s the fifth year, the potential option at the end, the extra $64 million, that’s really what makes the difference. “
As always with free agents, there’s a chance Brown would prefer to sign with another club, but in terms of financial gain, the Celtics have more to offer than others.
But the Brown extension talks don’t end there. These numbers make up Brown’s base salary. But if he wins MVP, wins DPOY or makes the All-NBA team in the next two years, he would deserve an even better starting salary.
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“There could be a few different things going on here. If Jaylen Brown wins MVP this season, if he wins Defensive Player of the Year this season, or if he’s named All-NBA next season, maybe, right? I don’t think it’s crazy. Then he would be eligible for what people call a supermax extension … And it would be five years, $290 million, starting at $50 million in the first season, then $54, $58, $62, then $66.
Smith noted that Brown seems unlikely to win MVP or DPOY, but if he makes the jump and the Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA, it’s not unlikely he’ll make the All-NBA team. At that point, Boston could pay him even more.
And as a quick side note, I spoke with Smith about salary increases and what players are worth right now. Gone are the days when $30 million was a lot of money, and now it’s being paid to potential stars. So while $50 million sounds like a scary amount to give Brown, these max deals are starting to happen.
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“I mean, $30 million contracts for players who are potential All-Star guys. I think if you sit down and make your list, right, well, what the heck, 24 teams, 24 players make the All-Star game every year. So you sit down and create a list of maybe 40 to 50 potential all-stars over the course of a season. It would be there. It will be at the low end of the number.”
So before you wrap your head around a $50 million contract, remember that the salary cap is always rising. As Smith explained to me, don’t think of $30 million (or even $50 million) as a raw number, think of it as a percentage of the check, which will continue to rise.
While Williams is not a top player or potential NBA prospect like Brown, his contract situation is the toughest. Brown has two fully guaranteed years left on his contract, while Williams’ contract expires at the end of the upcoming season.
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The 23-year-old forward made a big leap last year and is poised to play a big role in Boston’s rotation again this season. He is now eligible for an extension, and according to Smith, we should hear more talk about extending Williams as the Oct. 17 deadline approaches.
“So 10/17. That’s the last day to sign another scale extension. So for Grant, we basically have a month and a half to do that. Not unusual. Usually these rookies are the first off the board with scale deals. So, you see guys like RJ Barrett, not right, full max. We’ve seen Keldon Johnson do one before, it’s kind of rare. But usually a guy like Grant, not full max, it takes a little longer. Usually, they whatever they like to get it done by the start of training camp or shortly after that.. So I think let’s call it a month and maybe we’ll start hearing something about Grant getting an extension.
Last season, Williams was one of the best three-point shooters in the league, and his versatile defense allowed him to become a fixture in the Celtics lineup. Ime Udoka has been comfortable playing big minutes for him, which is huge for a coach who requires players to pass the ball on the defensive end.
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He won’t get a max contract, but Smith believes Williams’ numbers could exceed $10 million.
“I think Grant can get something in the range of $12-13 million a year for his average salary. So you probably start between $10 and $11 million and go up. It’s similar to what Rob [early Williams] signed last year and for me, given his role, the way he’s improved every year, it looks good that his game is going forward.
And before fans start talking about comparisons to Robert Williams, it’s important to remember the situation. Robert Williams had a 52-game season last year and around 30 the previous two years. He was a blitz-injury potential big man, and now his contract looks like a steal.
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Grant Williams played in 77 games last year, averaging 24.4 minutes per game and shooting 41.1% from three-point range. Robert Williams may have a high ceiling, but the price is right on consistency.
While Boston has the option to sign Williams to a new contract before the market opens, there’s always a chance the two sides can’t come to an agreement. There may be teams willing to overpay for Williams’ services because he’s still only 23 (24 on Nov. 30). However, he will be a restricted free agent, so teams will have to pay him enough