The Boston Celtics are the most talked-about team in the NBA right now.
They signed Jaylen Brown to a massive five-year contract extension worth a whopping $304 million, and most of the narrative around that deal is that they vastly overpaid for his services.
Nonetheless, it’s not like they had much of an option, as Brown wouldn’t have taken a dime less, and he could’ve just walked away after this season as a free agent.
With that in mind, ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith took to “First Take” to share his thoughts on the matter.
.@stephenasmith reacts to Jaylen Brown's new supermax extension:
"I'm happy for Jaylen Brown. … But the first thing I thought about when I saw that deal is … What is Jayson Tatum going to get?" pic.twitter.com/R9GmCaxED2
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 26, 2023
Unlike most pundits and fans, Stephen A. didn’t put the Celtics on blast for the kind of money they spent on Brown.
He claims he’s not going to crucify him despite how bad he was in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, as he knows there are ups and downs, and he actually outplayed Jayson Tatum in the NBA Finals the year before.
He lauded Brown as a hard-working two-way player who doesn’t cheat the game and performs and shows up on both ends of the floor.
However, he did sound concerned about what this deal could mean for Tatum, as Brown isn’t the best player on the Celtics — and never will be for as long as Tatum is there.
Smith questioned how much money the Celtics will have to pay Tatum to keep him around, as it will obviously be way more than the $304 million his teammate got.
This could come back to haunt the Celtics in the future, but they didn’t have that many options either.
NEXT: Jaylen Brown's Concerning Old Tweet Resurfaces After New Deal
