In recent months, there has been lots of concern about the future of Jaylen Brown with the Boston Celtics, and there has been increasing speculation that he may leave the team next summer when he would become a free agent.
Brown is the Celtics’ second-best player, and he is apparently their most reliable offensive threat in big games and pressure situations.
But according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, both sides are making progress on a contract extension that would keep the star wing in Beantown for years to come.
Jaylen Brown’s camp and the Celtics are starting to make progress on a contract extension, sources tell @JaredWeissNBA.
The two sides are likely moving closer to an agreement over the coming week.https://t.co/R1KNOcNHZ1 pic.twitter.com/4YtTWNHQ6t
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 10, 2023
Over the last few years, the Celtics have been considered one of the NBA’s elite teams, and Brown has been a huge reason why.
This past season, he established career highs in scoring (26.6 points a game), rebounding (6.9 boards a game), and shooting accuracy (49.1 percent from the field) while being named to his second All-Star team.
But for all their regular season success, the Celtics have failed to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
They lost in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, and this spring, they got routed at home in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals by the seemingly inferior Miami Heat.
This offseason, they have made major changes, as Marcus Smart and Danilo Gallinari got sent out in a trade that brought them the talented but injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis.
Experts seem split on whether that trade has made Boston better, but it is clear the team has lost plenty of depth.
The positive is that Brown and co-star Jayson Tatum are both in their mid-20s, which will give the Celtics a bit of time to reconfigure their roster around both of them.
NEXT:
Marcus Smart Opens Up About Being Traded From The Celtics