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Offseason Report Card: Celtics get four Bs, a C and an F for offseason moves

By Josh Cornelissen

Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Jaylen Brown has not said a word about Marcus Smart being traded by the Boston Celtics -- but what is the reasoning for the silence from Brown? (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics
CelticsBlog’s Ben Dupont revealed the likeliest offseason the Boston Celtics would trade Jaylen Brown after his recent Supermax Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Signed Jaylen Brown to an extension

Signed Jaylen Brown to a 5-year supermax extension worth up to $288.26

Jaylen Brown was not worth a supermax extension.

Such a contract is truly only “worth it” for a handful of players, clear Top-10 guys who project to stay at that level for the length of the contract. Jaylen Brown is young enough for this deal to stay within his prime, but he is nowhere near that level of player.

Brown is an All-Star Reserve type of player, a guy in the 20-30 range of players in the NBA. The Ringer ranks him 22nd in the league right now and that’s with their Boston-bias. Seth Partnow had him in a tier that extended into the mid-20s. Brown is a two-way wing, the kind of archetype you want to build around, but he is not worth the contract he signed.

With that being said, the Celtics had to give it to him. His All-NBA selection made him eligible for a deal richer than Boston would have hoped for, but it allowed them to lock him up before he hits free agency. Whether he plays in Boston for the next six seasons or is traded at some point, not signing him opened up downsides that outweighed the downsides of giving Brown this much money (downsides seen already this summer as Boston cut future money).

For all of his ball-handling and playmaking foibles, Brown is a really good player at an important position who has been a part of the Celtics winning a lot of games recently. Offering him the contract was the right move to make.

Grade: B