Can the Celtics flip the switch in Game 6?
Jaylen Brown has made an All-NBA team for the first time in his career, landing on the All-NBA Second Team, as announced by the league Wednesday night.
That is obviously a great accomplishment for him, but what's even more important is what it means for him and the Celtics moving forward: by virtue of making an All-NBA team, Brown is now eligible to sign a supermax extension with Boston this offseason. The Celtics can offer him a five-year deal worth $295 million, far more than any other team would be able to offer him if he went to free agency when his current contract expires after next season.
With Brown's name popping up in trade rumors once again this season and Brown himself making comments during the year that cast doubt on his future in Boston, there is now a major financial incentive for him to remain a Celtic.
Of course, that doesn't guarantee Boston will be Brown's long-term home. If he wants to leave, he may be willing to take less money to do so. The Celtics also still have to be willing to offer him the supermax, but team owner Wyc Grousbeck has made it clear he believes Brown "deserves the world."
In other Celtics All-NBA news, Jayson Tatum made the All-NBA First Team for the second straight season and is also now eligible for a supermax extension, which would kick in when his rookie max deal expires after the 2024-25 season. Tatum could earn up to $318 million on a five-year extension, meaning the Celtics could potentially have Tatum and Brown signed to contracts worth more than $600 million combined if they keep the duo together.
In the here and now, Tatum, Brown and the Celtics will look to avoid elimination in Game 6 of their second-round series against the 76ers Thursday night in Philadelphia.
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