There has been a fair amount of sticker shock over star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown’s recent supermax contract extension, but some analysts are also concerned about how the deal will age. Count among them Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who recently rated the Georgia native as likely to be the fifth-worst deal in the NBA based on “everything from age and talent to injury history and remaining contract terms.”
For Buckley, Brown’s contract “could get a little rough, particularly if he never makes the ball-handling and playmaking improvements he’d need to crack the league’s top 10 … Even if he clears that threshold at some point, he could be entering the early stages of his decline by the 2026-27 campaign.”
“If his stats start to dip, though, his salary will keep climbing regardless,” he adds. “His average salary for the final three seasons of his pact sits north of $61 million. That kind of coin should only be attached to a no-brainer superstar. Brown just hasn’t hit that tier.”
Celtics Lab 209: On covering the tougher stories in NBA journalism with Gary Washburn https://t.co/V2FGccxZsC via @thecelticswire
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“So, he probably needs to elevate his game in order to justify his pay rate,” suggests Buckley. “Yet, even maintaining his present level could be tricky as he enters his 30s for the final two seasons of his new deal.”
“Boston may not feel buyer’s remorse, but the two-way swingman could still rank among the league’s most overpaid players in three years.”
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