Jaylen Brown and the Celtics agreed to a five-year, $304 million super max extension, agreed upon between Brown’s agent Jason Glushon and Brad Stevens’ front office after nearly one month of negotiation. The deal keeps him in Boston for six years, through the 2028-29 season, with unrestricted free agency previously looming next summer.
Brown did not received a player option, which would’ve allowed him to reach free agency in 2028 by opting out of what’ll now become a fully guaranteed final season in the contract — worth roughly $69-million. The Celtics, in a compromise, included a trade kicker, worth less than 15%, according to the Boston Globe.
That allows Brown to receive that percentage of his remaining salary on top of his current one in a trade, so long as it doesn’t surpass the league max. If that creates some complication in trade salary matching down the line, it’d give Brown some say in where he ends up, though not as much as a full no trade clause would. Brown didn’t qualify for a no trade clause in an extension.
In exchange, the Celtics will inevitably keep Brown and Jayson Tatum together for the foreseeable future. Tatum becomes eligible for his super max extension next summer, which would begin in 2025-26, when Boston’s financial viability around its three stars becomes a real question. In the meantime, the Celtics get two straight shots at a championship with one of the most talented rosters in the league. Uncertainty alleviates for Brown, who now owns the richest contract in NBA history. He’s ineligible to be traded for one calendar year, until next July.
