There were multiple reasons as to why the Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown. At the forefront was that they didn't want to use 70% of their cap room on him and Jayson Tatum, especially after the team's embarrassing playoff failures. Teams and players have clearly seen the fallout from this and are adjusting accordingly to avoid the same fate.
The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement makes keeping a contender together tricky. We saw this even before the Brown trade, when the New York Knicks allowed Mitchell Robinson to join the Celtics simply because they didn't want to cross the NBA's second tax apron.
That is especially the case with extensions. As much as players want to get paid, they have to think now more than ever about trying to have their cake and eat it. In other words, get paid and still have your team be as good as possible. That's why, since the Brown trade, we have seen players agree to team-friendly extensions so to speak.
Victor Wembanyama took a paycut
Wembanyama extending with San Antonio ranks among the least surprising moves of the decade, let along this year. After taking the Spurs to the NBA Finals in just his third year, Wemby extended, but he did so while also trying to help the Spurs maintain their cap flexibility.
Wembanyama decided on the 25% maximum instead of the 30% supermax escalators to $303M, after he and the Spurs went through multiple frameworks. A major decision for the All-NBA star and Defensive Player of the Year entering his fourth season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 10, 2026
San Antonio worked in close… https://t.co/CaPIeGtiZ4
Wembanyama is still getting paid a hefty sum for his services, but at the same time, he doesn't want the Spurs to have the exact same fate the Celtics just had with Brown. Lucky for them, their other franchise pillars - Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper - are on rookie deals for the next few years.
The only albatross contract on their payroll is De'Aaron Fox, but the Spurs won't have much to worry about by the time that contract is up. Wembanyama's deal should put their minds at ease, especially with it being likely that this is just the beginning for them.
Austin Reaves did the same thing
Not too long after Wembanyama's extension was announced, the Lakers officially re-signed Austin Reaves. Lakers insider Jovan Buha revealed that Reaves took a paycut to help the Lakers maintain their financial flexibility.
Update on Austin Reaves’ contract with the Lakers: Final terms are four years, $180 million, with a player option in 2029–30, league sources tell me. Reaves agreed to a lower amount than the previously reported $185 million to help give Los Angeles more future flexibility.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) July 13, 2026
When being paid tens of millions on an annual basis, giving up $5 million feels like giving up a five dollar bill for someone like Reaves. Still, he clearly wants the Lakers to have the flexibility to get better. Whether they will is another story, but he and the Lakers don't want to face the same predicament the Celtics did with Brown.
Boston may not have wanted the Brown situation to pan out the way that it did, but it is kind of cool to see that they were basically trendsetters with this new CBA. Don't be surprised if we see more NBA stars make similar decisions that Wembanyama and Reaves just did.
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