5 Moves Celtics should make after Kristaps Porzingis trade
By Tyler Watts
1. Get a new deal for Jaylen Brown
Brown is entering the final year of his contract, and the 27-year-old is in line for a massive raise. Making the All-NBA team made him eligible for a supermax contract this summer. Boston has to give it to him if they want to keep him and Jayson Tatum together long-term. It will wreak havoc on the Celtics’ cap sheet, but consider it the price of having two stars.
The front office cannot afford to let Brown reach free agency. There are already some hard feelings after he was discussed in the Kevin Durant trade talks. Brown becomes a serious flight risk if he hits the open market, so the Celtics have to get an extension done before the start of the regular season or things could quickly turn problematic.
Extending Brown and Kristaps Porzingis likely forces Boston to dump Malcolm Brogdon or Derrick White over the next 365 days. Having three big-money players is difficult, especially when staying under the second tax apron.
The Boston Celtics made a massive splash in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, and the departure of Marcus Smart was stunning. They are primed to be title contenders again next season, but there is still work to do this offseason. Stay tuned to see how the Celtics round out their roster and keep their financials in check moving forward.
