Celtics Weigh Jaylen Brown's $57 Million Future After 56-Win Season

3 articles · Updated · Celtics Blog · Jun 26

Boston enters the post-draft offseason with Jaylen Brown trade speculation unresolved, even after reports said he has not formally requested a move.
Brad Stevens' push for more size, rim pressure and perimeter speed intensified after Boston's playoff loss to Philadelphia and an unsuccessful Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit put Brown into leaguewide rumors.
The roster is largely intact: eight players are already under contract, Boston drafted Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 27 and Dillon Mitchell at No. 40, and several team options are due June 29.
Brown's $57 million salary makes a clean win-now swap difficult, while Boston still has a $27.7 million traded-player exception, the mid-level exception and about $13.2 million below the tax line to reshape the roster.
That leaves Stevens balancing two tracks at once—deciding whether any Brown offer truly improves the team and, if not, finding a veteran big and a quick guard without compromising contention.