- Since losing to the Miami Heat in the Western Conference Finals, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown has been the subject of trade rumors.
- The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers are among the favorites to land Brown if he is traded.
- On Monday night, Brown led the Celtics with 19 points in a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Western Conference Finals. However, Brown turned the ball over eight times.
According to recent basketball buzz, Jaylen Brown could be on the move following seven seasons in Boston. That being said, oddsmakers have Brown staying put with the Celtics. BetUS currently tabs Brown to stay in Boston with odds of -500.
Brown and the Celtics are coming off a tough 103-84 loss to the Miami Heat. After erasing a 0-3 hole, the Celtics were favored to be the first team in NBA history to complete the comeback and win Game 7.
The Heat made it look easy on the road in a 19-point victory in Boston. Only a day after the loss, there are already reports of a shake-up in the organization. Brown could be on his way out, which would end a disappointing era of Celtics basketball.
On April 11, the Celtics had the second-best odds to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Only the Milwaukee Bucks, who exited the Playoffs in the first round, had better odds to win than the Celtics.
The Bucks won a championship in 2021. The Celtics might have nothing to show for the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era, though. Boston has regularly been one of the favorites alongside the Bucks since Tatum and Brown have been together in the East.
“We failed. I failed and it’s hard to think about anything else right now.”
Jaylen Brown after losing Game 7
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/Tr9CffgFi8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2023
Brown Has One Year Remaining On Contract
The Celtics are going to have a decision to make soon. It doesn’t necessarily have to come this offseason. However, the Celtics have big decisions to make soon regarding Brown.
Either sign Brown to a long-term deal, or trade him elsewhere. The worst-case scenario for the Celtics is that he plays out the rest of his contract next year and then leaves Boston. The Celtics would be left with nothing in this instance.
Brown signed a four-year $106.3 million contract with the Celtics in 2020. Time moves fast. He is only a year away from this contract expiring. The 26-year-old former Cal Golden Bear could be looking for a supermax contract from the Celtics in the summer.
Energy 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 ⚡️
Congrats on being selected to the All-NBA Second Team, @fchwpo pic.twitter.com/yok0krnMqd
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 10, 2023
After being selected to the All-NBA Second Team, Brown is eligible for a supermax contract of up to 35 percent of the 2024-25 salary cap and 8 percent raises on an annual basis. If the Celtics are not interested in offering Brown a supermax deal, then he will be on the trade market.
Under a possible $140.7 million salary cap for the 2024-25 season, the Celtics could offer Brown a five-year max deal worth $285.6 million. Otherwise, if Brown is traded, he can sign a four-year, $189.1 million with another team.
According to current CBA rules, this is the maximum deal that another team could extend to Brown. Leaving in free agency to a team that does not own his rights would be the least lucrative option. In this instance, Brown would be eligible for $181.5 across four years.
If Brown isn’t interested in being a Celtic any longer, he may be fine with taking a cheaper deal. Conversely, the Celtics might want to move in another direction and part ways with Brown.
In March, Brown commented on his impending contract situation:
“I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me. We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correct”.
Oddsmakers Are Not Buying the Trade Rumors
According to online betting site BetUS, Brown is not going anywhere. He has large odds to remain in Boston at -500. For a $100 profit, bettors will have to wager $500 on Brown remaining a Celtic for the 2023-24 season.
The implied probability, which is the likelihood of an event happening in relation to the betting odds, has Brown staying in Boston at 83.3 percent. While signing Brown to a supermax deal may not be in the Celtics’ best interest, this is the direction they will likely go in.
Tatum and Brown in Boston through their prime years will continue to make the Celtics a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Tatum signed a five-year $163 million contract in 2021.
Tatum will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Looking at the contract that Brown is set to rake in, Tatum is playing on a bit of a bargain contract for the Celtics. Tatum led the Celtics in scoring this past year with an average of 30.1 points per game.
In Brown’s seven-year career with the Celtics, he has posted 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Brown is on the heels of a career year in the NBA.
He recorded career highs in points with 26.6 per game and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Additionally, Brown matched a career-high with 3.5 assists a game. After an up-and-down postseason, will this be enough for the Celtics to open their wallets?
The Mavericks and Trail Blazers Are Potential Destinations
In the event that Brown is traded, there are a plethora of teams that would likely be interested in his services. Kyrie Irving played two years in Boston from 2017 to 2019. He spent the last 3.5 years in Brooklyn before landing in Dallas this past year.
At least from the initial results, the trade did not work out favorably for the Mavericks. Irving and Luka Doncic did not appear to be on the same page in their brief time together last year. Could Mark Cuban be looking to bring Brown to Dallas to pair with Irving and Doncic?
With +500 odds, the Mavericks have the best odds of landing him in a trade. The Trail Blazers, who are looking to return to relevance in the NBA, have the next best odds of trading for Brown at +600. The Atlanta Hawks are a team worth keeping tabs on, as well.
