A possible problem for Jaylen Brown if he leaves the Boston Celtics in 2024 free agency
In the not-too-distant future, Jaylen Brown will have a choice: stay with the Boston Celtics and be the co-star to All-NBA First Teamer Jayson Tatum or bolt Beantown and find a place where he can be the sole featured headliner in his market.
Brown has been on a steady ascension since Kyrie Irving left the Cs in 2019 and he’s playing his best basketball during this 2022-23 season — one that will surely be rewarded with an All-Star appearance later in February.
But if he does decide to roll the dice and be the No. 1 option elsewhere, The Ringer’s Zach Kram has a forewarning to the 27-point-per-game co-alpha of the Celtics offense:
"“In his seventh NBA season, Brown is still more limited as an offensive creator than Tatum. In particular, he’s stagnated as a passer and averages 3.2 assists compared to 3.1 turnovers per game. No player who scores as often as Brown this season records fewer assists.”“But on a team with Tatum, Brogdon, Marcus Smart, and Derrick White—heck, even big men Al Horford and Robert Williams III are excellent passers for their size—Brown doesn’t need more passing chops. If he leaves the Celtics when he reaches free agency in 2024 to become another team’s no. 1 option, this issue may become more of a pressing concern; for now, on a Celtics team that is tied for fifth in assist rate, he’s perfectly cast as a scorer first and foremost.”"
Where Jaylen Brown could go if he leaves the Boston Celtics
With the NBA’s salary cap rising annually to a record $134 million starting next season, the 2024 free agency period looks like it could be a doozy — particularly since the 2023 free agent class has the pizzazz of guys like James Harden and Kyrie Irving but lacks true franchise-shifters by and large. Brown could be the target many teams put at the top of their whiteboards, and for good reason. His overall efficiency is at his career-best this season despite averaging career highs in volume as well. Another jump like what Brown has made from last season to this has him at the top of the sport.
Teams that could tear their roster apart quickly, barring any wild offseason investments, include the Los Angeles Lakers — who’d only have LeBron James and Anthony Davis on contract should they dole out no long-term deals this summer –, all of the rebuilding teams (Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets) the Indiana Pacers, and the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento is a particularly interesting landing spot considering Brown’s Cal roots in his collegiate days. Regardless, the most likely outcome for Brown is staying with the Boston Celtics.
Still, this is something to monitor until it’s official.