How Jaylen Brown’s contract likely figured into the Celtics’ decision to deal him to the 76ers

Jaylen Brown’s on-court game and off-court actions have been dissected exhaustingly throughout the past week before and after his controversial trade to the 76ers for Paul George.

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And while analytics could be the primary reason the Celtics were so eager to trade Brown away, another factor is his contract as NBA teams are beginning to pass on signing veterans to cap-limiting extensions. One of the reasons Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers, a move that would lead to his firing, is his reluctance to commit $346 million in a potential extension.

Brown was eligible for a two-year, $141 million extension later this month and with Jayson Tatum eligible for a similar deal next summer, the Celtics did not want two players with max deals if it wasn’t resulting in a championship formula.

Doncic was a cornerstone in Dallas and, like Brown in Boston, was abruptly traded for several reasons but the Mavericks did not want to commit long term to such a massive contract. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement has allowed players to earn generational wealth but accompanying those lofty salaries are more salary cap constraints that limit flexibility.

The Celtics learned that the hard way when their quest for a championship carried them into the daunted second apron, which severely limited their ability to make trades and sign players. They moved Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and allowed Luke Kornet and Al Horford to leave via free agency to get under the second and first apron.

What the new CBA has done is discourage teams from drafting well, especially players who are close in age and experience. Brown and Tatum were drafted third in consecutive years, meaning the two, if they became All-Stars and All-NBA players, were going to garner similar contracts throughout their careers.

When some of these players are nearing extensions, teams are deciding they could do better things with their money. The Suns signed Devin Booker to a two-year, $145 million extension last summer, a deal similar to the one Brown was eligible for.

Like Brown with the Celtics, Booker had been with the Suns his entire 10-year career and was a franchise cornerstone, and he was by far the team’s highest-paid player. Booker earns $57 million this season while guard Jalen Green gets $36 million as the second-highest paid.

George’s salary essentially replaces Brown’s on the Celtics payroll, but he comes off the books in two years — he has a player option for 2027-28 — and any lofty extension is not a possibility. So while the Celtics replaced a 29-year-old player in his prime with a 36-year-old in his final years, they also avoided potential cap-clogging extension for Brown and now can align their salaries with Tatum making the Booker-type salary and players such as Derrick White or perhaps another yet-to-be-acquired prospect earning in the $30-plus million range.

If you’re wondering how a team like the champion Knicks were able to pad their roster with established, well-paid veterans, the answer is Jalen Brunson taking a $100 million pay cut during his last extension talks. He is New York’s third-highest paid player.

The Knicks’ five-highest paid players earn from $57 million per season (Karl-Anthony Towns) to $20 million (Josh Hart). New York’s next-highest paid player after Mitchell Robinson bolted for the Celtics is Landry Shamet at $5.3 million.

The Celtics had their reasons for wanting to move Brown and salary is one of them, which really isn’t his fault. Because he earned All-NBA in 2022-23, he was eligible for that $304 million extension that made him the league’s highest-paid player. Did he deserve that distinction? Obviously not, but his extension eligibility and All-NBA honor came at the perfect time for a massive extension.

But when it came to the next extension, the Celtics decided to pass, despite Brown coming off a career season and entering his prime. The analytics say Brown is not as valuable of a player as his statistics may lead one to believe, but one of the primary reasons the Boston brass decided 10 years of Brown was enough they believed his on-court value did not match his salary.

Is that true? Some believe no, but there was a reason why players who earn $50-plus million a season are difficult to trade — because their market value is so precarious. The Celtics should have gotten more in return for Brown, but players who have attracted these bundles of draft picks in trades — Mikal Bridges, Desmond Bane — are making in the $30 million and $40 million range. Brown becomes Philadelphia’s second-highest paid player behind Joel Embiid while Tyrese Maxey will earn $40 million next season.

The 76ers’ salaries are top heavy, with its three to players earning $164 million out of their $201 million cap. Embiid, Brown, and Maxey will all be eligible for extensions in coming years and VJ Edgecombe will be due a rookie extension, and then the 76ers will have to get creative to fit those guys into their salary structure.

But for now, they gladly took Brown, his analytical issues, his salary, and his much-debated game.

The Celtics trade of Brown to the 76ers capped off a zany week in the NBA for player transactions with Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Kawhi Leonard, Julius Randle, Ja Morant, Naz Reid, Miles Bridges, and Grayson Allen all changing teams.

The Trail Blazers made the stunning move of sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies for Morant, whose time in Memphis had run out because of his injuries and off-court issues. A backcourt of Morant and Damian Lillard may have been lethal five years ago but Lillard is coming off an Achilles tear while Morant hasn’t been fully healthy and productive in three years. Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said the team plays to use both in the backcourt together, despite the presence of former third pick Scoot Henderson.

In Toronto, the Raptors had had enough being after thoughts and reunited with Leonard, who was not going to get an extension with the Clippers and was looking for a new locale. The Clippers are in the midst of going young and the 35-year-old Leonard was not a good fit anymore. They added Brandon Ingram, a productive but injury prone player along with Gradey Dick, once tabbed as a potential cornerstone but who has never developed.

Leonard gives the Raptors an imposing trio with RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes along with Jakob Poeltl at center and Immanuel Quickley at point guard. Toronto may not be a championship level club but it is more imposing then before because of Leonard’s ability to score and defend.

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The Timberwolves had been seeking a point guard for the past few years after Mike Conley, who was signed by the Celtics, began aging. Ball is coming off a solid season in which he played 72 games and averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and shot nearly 37 percent from the 3-point line. The hope is he will continue to mature and become more of a leader in Minnesota along with Anthony Edwards.

Charlotte had decided to hand the keys to Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and the re-signed Coby White. They sent out Ball and the controversial Miles Bridges, whose off-court issues overshadowed his on-court production.

Another interesting development is the activity of the Thunder, who are finding out the rigors of drafting well but eventually having to secure players with second contracts. The Thunder moved Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks and Isaiah Joe to the Pistons in cost-cutting moves as the extensions of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams begin next season. The club also brought back center Isaiah Hartenstein and exercised the team option on valuable defender Luguentz Dort but allowed Kenrich Williams to enter free agency.

Several deals, including the Brown trade, will become official Monday and then more free agent activity is expected. A few intriguing names remaining on the market are Rui Hachimura and Brandon Williams of the Mavericks. Williams, a speedy guard, could be a Celtics target. The team has long admired his skills, including coach Joe Mazzulla.

The Celtics still have their bi-annual exception to offer but would have to move more salary out to use that $27.7 trade exception. The team using their full mid-level on Robinson hard capped the Celtics at the first apron, meaning they can’t use the full trade exception without another salary slash.

The marriage between LeBron James and the Lakers ended this week when the 23-year veteran and four-time championship announced that he was not returning to the team and seeking a new team in free agency. The Lakers were interested in bringing James back for at least one season but had other roster priorities.

Although the Lakers could have scraped up enough money to make James a lucrative contract offer but had other roster priorities, including a center. Los Angeles made an aggressive push for Jazz restrictive free agent Walker Kessler, who had fallen out of favor with his original team.

They worked out a sign-and-trade with Kessler for two first-round picks and two pick swaps. The Lakers then signed Kessler, considered a defensive-minded rim protector — to a four-year $130 million deal. Los Angeles then added Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million deal and also signed Quentin Grimes from the 76ers and Collin Sexton from the Bulls to fill roster needs. Los Angeles was stunned when center Deandre Ayton opted into the final year of his contract, to become a backup center. But the Lakers traded Ayton to the Wizards for swingman Jaden Hardy to clear a frontcourt slot.

The Lakers wanted James to return but as a third option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, who was just rewarded with a four-year, $185 million deal to be the No. 2 option. James managed well behind that duo last season but that team was hardly championship level. Even with the offseason additions, the Lakers won’t be favorites and James wants to win a championship.

Los Angeles has decided to build its franchise around Doncic, which is something the Mavericks decided to take a pass on after the 2024 Finals. It seemed James understood the shift to Doncic as the primary cornerstone but Reaves, a smooth scorer but poor defender, suddenly became another priority to unseat James.

James did not want to return until those conditions and he has a bevy of teams interested in his services, even for just one season. Here’s a look at the candidates:

▪ Warriors: Golden State has held interest in James and now could be the time to pair him with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Horford for a geriatric team that will be fun but endurance will be an issue. And even with James, the Warriors won’t be championship contenders, just pure entertainment.

▪ 76ers: With the addition of Brown, Philadelphia becomes more attractive to James because all they need is a power forward to complete an imposing starting lineup. The question is whether James would want to play in Philadelphia and besides Embiid, who remains a franchise cornerstone.

▪ Cavaliers: A third time in Cleveland sounds like a great story but the Cavaliers are not a championship caliber team at this point, losing Dean Wade to the 76ers. James Harden proved once again he isn’t a high-level playoff player and Cleveland was easily swept by the Knicks after blowing Game 1 in New York. The Cavaliers would need more reinforcements besides James to push the likes of the Knicks and 76ers, but a return to Northeast Ohio is an intriguing possibility.

▪ Heat: With Antetokounmpo now on board, Miami becomes more of a realistic possibility because a frontline of James, Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo could be the best in the league. James has mended his relationship with team president Pat Riley and he still has fond memories of his four-year stint here when he won two championships.

▪ Nuggets: Denver has not done much of anything in free agency so far, but a pairing of James and Nikola Jokic would bring two of the league’s most intelligent players together. James remains a great player but wouldn’t put the Nuggets over the top in the Western Conference. But’s a two-hour flight from his Los Angeles home and the passes that James and Jokic would toss to teammates would be worth the price of admission.

▪ Timberwolves: This is a wild card but Minnesota traded away Randle and Reid and could use another powerful forward. The trio of James, Ball, and Edwards would be interesting and James could provide the mentorship that both could use. Still, with James, the Timberwolves aren’t quite championship caliber but they would be different and better offensively.

The Hawks did not pick up the contract option on Jonathan Kuminga, making him a free agent. Kuminga and his future has drawn numerous opinions because of how he was disposed by the Warriors despite being considered a potential franchise cornerstone. He was supposed to have a second chance in Atlanta and had his moments for the Hawks during their playoff series with the Knicks but not enough for his $24 million salary in 2026-27. There will be several teams interested in Kuminga, including the Kings, but it will be at a lower price … After the Celtics declined the options for former two-way players Max Shulga and John Tonje, both are free agents. The Celtics still have open two-way spots they’re likely to use on second-round pick Dillon Mitchell and perhaps another summer league prospect. Amari Williams signed a two-way deal this week … Former first-round pick Kira Lewis Jr. has landed a spot on the Bucks’ summer league team. Former Celtic Anton Watson is playing for the Lakers’ summer entry. Watson is a former Boston second-round pick who had also played for the Knicks. Former first-round pick Malaki Branham is on the Cavaliers roster … The Kings basically gave former first-round pick Devin Carter to the Hawks for draft considerations. The compensation was the rights to Alpha Kaba, who was the 60th pick in 2017. Kaba, 30, currently plays in China and is unlikely to play in the NBA. Carter was the 13th pick in 2024 and drafted ahead the likes of Kel’el Ware, Jared McCain, and Bub Carrington, but he played in just 74 games over two years and made just 27.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. The hope for the Hawks is he can turn into a viable backcourt option off the bench … Billy Donovan resigned from the Bulls in April perhaps in hopes of pursuing a college or another NBA head coaching job but he has been added as the Spurs lead assistant to Mitch Johnson, giving the younger coach another guide when it comes to key coaching decisions. Johnson received criticism for some of his late-game strategies in the Finals against the Knicks, including his lack of crunch playing time for rookie Dylan Harper. The Spurs added to their roster in free agency by adding veteran Tobias Harris to a two-year deal coming off a solid season with the Pistons.

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