We may have an additional answer as to why the Celtics are reportedly bandying Jaylen Brown's name in trade talks for Kevin Durant.
They don't know if Brown will stay with them long-term.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor dropped a nugget about Brown's future plans in a column detailing his thoughts on the Celtics' rumored interest in Durant. O'Connor writes that "folks around the NBA have long suspected" Brown will test free agency in 2024.
Brown, 25, signed a four-year, $106 million extension in 2019 — making him the 40th-highest paid player in the NBA for 2022-23. That's turned out to be a team-friendly deal, with Brown improving different aspects of his game each season.
He averaged 23.6 points per game last season and was the Celtics' leading scorer in the NBA Finals.
Financially speaking, it would make the most sense for Brown to re-sign with the Celtics once he hits free agency. They could ink him to a maximum contract worth $273 million, provided he makes one All-NBA team.
The Celtics can offer Brown an extension right now, but they would be restricted to offering him a 120-percent raise in the first year of his deal, meaning he would be paid roughly $111 million over three years.
Boston would be lucky to get him at that price.
With that in mind, the expectation that Brown will hit free agency doesn't necessarily mean he wants to leave the Celtics, though he seems to be miffed about the Durant discussions. On Monday, he sent out an ominous tweet after it was reported that Boston offered him up in trade talks.
Earlier this summer, Brown favorited a tweet from a user who said Celtics fans disrespect him.
With Brown's unsettled contract situation, the Celtics may not have that much longer to ride it out with him and Jayson Tatum. Even if Brown stays in Boston this offseason, his long-term future will be far from resolved.
