Celtics star Jaylen Brown has blossomed into one of the best players in the NBA since he was drafted in 2016. Boston fans have been able to watch with pride as he has turned into a dynamic scorer and the perfect No. 2 to Jayson Tatum in recent years. It would be hard to imagine that fans and those within the Celtics organization haven’t envisioned him retiring with the team, but Brown doesn’t sound like he’s 100% sure that scenario will play out.
Brown is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024 but could sign an extension before that. However, with the NBA’s expected jump in revenue with new national television deals, he could opt to instead play out the end of his deal and cash in as a free agent. When asked about playing in Boston for the long haul, Brown didn’t give a definitive yes or no.
“I don’t know. As long as I’m needed. It’s not up to me,” he told The Ringer. “We’ll see how they feel about me over time and I feel about them over time. Hopefully, whatever it is, it makes sense. But I will stay where I’m wanted. I will stay where I’m needed and treated correct.”
When he was asked how long he would like to play with Tatum, Brown was again vague and didn’t look past the immediate future.
“I just enjoy the time that you have now,” he said. “If it’s your whole career, it’s your whole career. If it’s not, it’s not. Some of the greatest players of all time haven’t finished with their organization. Michael Jordan retired a Wizard. As much as we like it here and enjoy being here, you see where life takes you. You see how the process goes.
“All you do is really focus on what’s in front of you right now, to be honest,” he continued, per The Ringer. “But I don’t really know or want to answer that question because that type of stuff makes Celtics fans speculate and go crazy. Especially right now, I’ll just say we’ll get there when we get there.”
Brown appeared in his second All-Star Game in February and is currently averaging career-high in points (26.7), rebounds (6.9), field-goal percentage (49%), free-throw percentage (77%) and minutes per game (36.2).
