Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for the tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
Jaylen Brown won’t be mistaken for the NBA’s best player anytime soon, but he will hold the title of the league’s richest contract … at least for a little while.
Brown signed a five-year supermax extension Wednesday with the Boston Celtics that will reportedly pay him up to $304 million, which is the richest contract in NBA history. But if you’re thinking Boston is paying too much for a player who’s made just one All-NBA team in his career, think again.
As FTW’s Mike Sykes explained, this is simply the way things are trending in the NBA. Revenue continues to increase, which means salary caps are up and player contracts are bigger. If the Celtics wanted to continue contending, this is the deal they had to give Brown. The next supermax eligible player will likely make more. Before Brown, Nikola Jokic signed the NBA’s previous richest contract of $264 million just last year.
So, which player is next in line?
First, it’s important to understand the type of extension Brown signed. It was the designated veteran extension, which can start at up to 35% of the salary cap after a player reaches seven to nine years of service for the team he started his career with and hits certain All-NBA or award benchmarks. Players also have to be in the final year or two of their current deals to be eligible.
Next summer, the player who almost certainly will get that deal is Brown’s teammate Jayson Tatum. He’s the most likely player to eclipse Brown’s record deal, though past All-Stars and borderline All-Stars who could also qualify with a big 2023-24 season include De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, Jamal Murray, Brandon Ingram and Pascal Siakam.
First, though, they have to ball out on the court, which is what Brown did to earn second-team All-NBA last season. That’s how he became the NBA’s highest-paid player.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
The basketball world paused Tuesday after news that Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest while practicing at USC.
Though a family spokesperson said Bronny was in stable condition and out of the ICU, it’s never easy to hear about a young person dealing with heart issues, especially after what we all witnessed with Damar Hamlin.
The appropriate thing to do in that moment would have been what a lot of the NBA world did by sending out prayers and best wishes, or just saying nothing at all. Unfortunately, Elon Musk and others used the moment to peddle their own agendas on social media.
Our guy Sykes put it all into proper perspective:
Bronny was in a position to blossom, man. He was going to USC to play basketball and live his dream. He has aspirations of going to the NBA and playing at the highest level. He was in the middle of forging his own path just like his father did before him.
Then, this happens. All of that is just put on pause at the very least until this gets figured out. We don’t know how this will turn out. We don’t know if he’ll be able to play this season. We don’t know how his plans have been disrupted.
Instead of recognizing that and showing a bit of empathy, Musk and others immediately moved to insert themselves into a situation that doesn’t call for it. At the very least, this is irresponsible behavior. At the very worst, it’s downright ghoulish.
Shootaround
— Bryce James posted a heartfelt Instagram photo after his brother’s scare
— You have to go check out the NBA version of Immaculate Grid
— Mexico City will host the Hawks and Magic for a regular season game
