Everyone across the basketball world is talking about the humongous new contract extension the Boston Celtics gave to Jaylen Brown on Tuesday.
That extension is worth over $300 million over five years, and it will allow him to stay in Beantown through the 2028-29 season.
Many are questioning the wisdom of giving such an extension, which is the biggest contract in NBA history, to a player such as Brown who has made only two All-Star teams and has never been named to an All-NBA First Team.
But ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins, a former Celtic who won a championship with them in 2008, seems to like this move, via NBA on ESPN.
"Back the Brink's truck UP!"@KendrickPerkins congratulates Jaylen Brown on the richest deal in NBA history 🚚💰 pic.twitter.com/uUxA5a2xZh
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 25, 2023
Brown is a very good player who had a career-best 2022-23 season, but he isn’t even the Celtics’ best player — that honor goes to Jayson Tatum.
However, Tatum is developing a trend of playing poorly in big playoff games, and in such situations, it has often been up to Brown to rescue them and give them a shot at winning.
In the 2022 NBA Finals, Tatum played particularly terribly, but Brown stepped things up enough for Boston to forge a 2-1 series lead over the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics have been a defensive-oriented team over the last couple of years, but they may need to win at least partly with offense after some recent moves they made.
Former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was sent out in favor of Kristaps Porzingis, a center who can fill up the hoop — when he is healthy.
This could ultimately put more pressure on Brown to carry the team’s burden and prove he is truly worth his new $304 million extension.
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