Jaylen Brown, Celtics ink biggest deal in NBA History

Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has agreed to terms on a five-year supermax contract that will pay him up to $304 million. It's the richest deal in NBA history. It surpasses the $264 million deal signed by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic last summer. 

By

Sports

July 25, 2023 - 2:51 PM

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown goes to the basket during the fourth quarter of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden on May 14, 2023, in Boston. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald/TNS)

The Celtics have locked in Jaylen Brown for the remainder of the upcoming decade after agreeing to a five-year $304 million supermax extension with the All-Star on Tuesday.

A league source confirmed to MassLive that the deal will be fully guaranteed with no fifth-year player option. Brown will also get a trade kicker from Boston as part of the deal. The new contract will kick in during the 2024-25 season.

Here’s a breakdown of the deal by year with eight percent raises for each season after Brown earns 35 percent of the projected salary cap in the first season of the new deal.

Related: Mobile sports betting is live in Massachusetts on DraftKings. Get started with $150 in bonus bets

Jaylen Brown extension by year

2024-2025: $52,368,085

2025-2026: $56,557,532

2026-2027: $60,746,979

2027-2028: $64,936,425

2028-2029: $69,125,872

Total: $303,734,893 (estimate)

So what does the new contract mean for the Celtics salary cap picture? Let’s look at a few areas for the short and long term.

No impact on 2023-24 books

Brown still has one year left on his current deal ($30.7 million) so the team’s payroll remains as is right now even after agreeing to the new extension. Boston remains a luxury tax team in the present but are still under the second apron for the moment.

Urgency, limitations hit harder in 2024-25

With Brown’s new deal kicking in this year along with an extension for Kristaps Porzingis ($30 million) taking effect, Boston’s books will suddenly get very pricy. The Celtics will have $185.1 million committed to just nine players for the 2024-25 season, which puts them well into luxury tax territory already before even filling out the remainder of the 15-man roster. The team likely won’t have use of any mid-level exception next year and could look to cut some pricy role players on the payroll. Letting Grant Williams walk this offseason for draft picks was an example of this instead of signing him to a long-term deal.

Related