Jayson Tatum wants Celtics to give Jaylen Brown a max extension this summer
BOSTON -- Jaylen Brown had no desire to discuss his upcoming offseason in the aftermath of Monday night's Game 7 loss to the Heat. The Celtics swingman was still in shock after the devastating loss, in which he played one of his worst games in a long, long time.
But make no mistake, this is a massive offseason for Brown. After earning a spot on the All-NBA second team, Brown is eligible for a five-year, $295 million extension from the Celtics.
There are two questions that come with that extension: Will the Celtics make that offer, and will Brown accept?
The latter seems pretty obvious. It's hard to believe anyone wouldn't say "please and thank you" to a $295 million payday. That is a giant sum of cash for the 26-year-old. There were stories of Brown being unhappy in Boston earlier this season, but he said those were overblown.
But Brown wasn't ready to discuss what the future holds for him in the immediate aftermath of Monday's loss.
"My thought process is take it one day at a time, focus on getting better. Focus on what the future holds and see where we are from there," was all Brown offered up when asked about his future Monday night.
While Brown certainly didn't look like an All-NBA second teamer as he shot just 1-for-9 from downtown and committed eight turnovers in Boston's 103-84 loss at TD Garden, the Celtics would be wise to lock in their second star on the roster next to Jayson Tatum. Finding two young stars to serve as the pillar of your franchise aren't easy to come across, and the Celtics can have both Tatum and Brown as they start to enter the prime of their career.
While Brown didn't want to discuss his future, Tatum was more than happy to go to bat for his running mate.
"It's extremely important," Tatum said of the Celtics giving Brown an extension. "He's one of the best players in this league. He plays both ends of the ball and still is relatively young. And he's accomplished a lot so far in his career. So, I think it's extremely important."
Brown played some of his best basketball during the regular season, setting new career highs with 26.6 points per game off 49.1 percent shooting, 6.9 rebounds per game, and matching his career-best at 3.5 assists per game. He was named to his second NBA All-Star team and scored 35 points in the exhibition to lead Team Giannis. By season's end, he made his first All-NBA team which made him eligible for his giant payday.
Will the Celtics give it to him? Will he accept? We'll know in a few weeks. But Tatum made it very clear where he stands on the matter, and really wants the Celtics to keep their 1-2 punch together.
