Jaylen Brown Agrees to Richest Contract in NBA History With $304 Million Extension

Jaylen Brown had a breakout season with the Boston Celtics earning him the richest contract in NBA History

By: Omar Cook

Jaylen Brown, star forward of the Boston Celtics, is set to make NBA history with a massive contract. His agent, Jason Glushon, confirmed that Brown has agreed to sign a five-year, supermax extension worth a staggering $304 million, making it the richest deal ever in NBA history. This lucrative extension became possible for Brown after he earned All-NBA Second Team honors for the 2022-23 season.

The jaw-dropping extension will take effect in the 2024-25 season, where Brown will earn an unprecedented $52.4 million, setting a new record for the highest single-season salary for any NBA player. In the final year of the contract, Brown's earnings will reach an astonishing $69.1 million.

This remarkable deal surpasses the previous record holder, Nikola Jokic, who secured a $276 million extension in 2022. Notably, Brown's contract also includes a guaranteed trade kicker, although he had to forgo the typical player option that stars usually have in their final year under contract to receive this exceptional compensation.

Throughout the early months of the summer, it wasn't always certain that Jaylen Brown's new contract with the Boston Celtics would come to fruition. However, the new deal has now been confirmed, keeping the forward in Celtic green until the 2028-29 season.

Brown recently had the best season of his career, boasting impressive averages of 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. His outstanding performance earned him an All-Star selection and a spot in the All-NBA Second Team.

Despite his performance, Celtics fans questioned Brown’s ability to fit in with star All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum. The Celtics failed to make a return to the NBA Finals this past season causing fans and analysts to actively pushing for a trade involving Jaylen Brown. However, historical data suggests that the Brown-Tatum duo is arguably one of the most formidable one-two punches in the NBA currently.

During the previous season, the duo combined for an impressive 56.7 points per game, ranking as the fourth-highest scoring duo since the 1976-77 merger, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

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NBA Finals Preview: Heat vs Nuggets

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 31, 2023: Jimmy Butler, an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat, attend the semifinal match at 2023 Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami

Credit: Leonard Zhukovsky via Shutterstock

By: Joshua Martin

We may not have arrived to the Finals matchup we expected but it's definitely the one we deserved. The two best players in this year’s playoffs lead two squads who are polar opposites in almost every spectrum. 

You have Jimmy Butler who, with the combined forces of excellent coaching by Coach Eric Spoelstra and timely shot making from undrafted vets, helped propel a squad without its second leading scorer back to the championship round for the second time in 4 years. It's truly a David vs. Goliath scenario. So has been the journey for the Heat the entire way it seems. Starting in the play-in tournament, eventually becoming an 8th seed. No one had the Heat in this position.   

Then there’s Nikola Jokic, two time MVP, undisputed leader of the best team in the western conference all year long, leading a squad that's incredibly deep, consistently brilliant offensively and poised to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in its franchise’s history. Jamal Murray and Jokic have been historically good this postseason and the Nuggets are finally healthy at the right time. 

The Journey

The Nuggets haven’t been tested much this postseason if we're being honest. Jokic dominated a brittle Lakers team with a flurry of triple doubles, sweeping them in the Western Finals. Murray turned back the hands of time and gave us a taste of what we saw from him in the bubble against the Suns, lifting them to a 4-2 series victory. The Timberwolves stole a game but it’s called a “gentleman's sweep”, emphasis on the word sweep, for a reason. 

The Heat on the other hand lost its first game of the play-in tournament but bounced back to secure an unfavorable first round matchup against. Unfavorable until Giannis sustained a back injury. The Heat handled the Bucks in 4-1 series thumping. Kept that same energy against the Knicks, reaching 4 wins in 6 games. Though pushed to a game 7, the Heat's supporting cast stepped up again led by Caleb Martin's deadly stroke from deep, becoming the first 8th seed since 1999 to reach the NBA Finals.  

Heat X factor - Caleb Martin - averaged 19.3 points per game in the east finals, along with shooting 60 percent from the floor and 49% from three.

X-Factors

Stars like Jokic, Butler and Jamal Murray will definitely have their say so on how this series will unfold but like most cases, the championship series is usually won between the margins, X-factors making timely shots and crucial decisions made by coaches in pivotal situations.

For the Heat, their fairing in this matchup hinges largely, in my opinion, on the health of Tyler Herro. After averaging 20.1 ppg for the Heat during the regular season, Herro has played only 19 minutes this postseason after suffering a broken hand in game 1 of the Bucks series. Herro isn't known for his defensive prowess but he is a capable scorer. For the Heat to have a legitimate chance in this series, they need all the firepower they can get to keep pace with the Nuggets. Shortly after Game 7, Senior NBA analyst for TNT, Chris Haynes, reported that Tyler is on course to return very soon.   

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (hand fracture) is ramping up workouts and is expected to make his return at some point during NBA Finals with Game 3 being the likely target, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 30, 2023

The Nuggets have a number of players to pinpoint in this section. Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon. All are solid choices but the former number 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft may be the key to securing a title. Over the past few seasons, MPJ has thoroughly bought into being a role player but there are still plenty of moments when his pedigree shines through. Standing at 6’10”, once Porter Jr. gets going it's easy to see where the Klay Thompson comparisons come from. At his size, he will be able to simply shoot over or dribble past many of Miami’s defenders. If MPJ is involved and hitting his shots, he could be a nightmare matchup for the Heat. 

Final Verdict

I've been totally wrong this entire playoffs. I initially thought the Bucks would represent the East with the Suns coming out of the West in a possible 2021 finals rematch. Both teams eventually fell by the wayside after sustaining crucial injuries and facing scorching hot teams who couldn’t miss from the field. But this is about the present, the here and now. And honestly, I believe the Heat will win. I know the Nuggets have a better deeper team, so did the Celtics. I know the Nuggets have a dominant MVP big man, so did the Bucks. The Nuggets faithful don't tend to reach the heights of some of your more delusional Knicks fans but I'm pretty sure Ball Arena will be in a raucous frenzy. With all that being said, this year’s playoffs have shown me that my gut is no longer reliable. Whatever I know, I truly don’t. 

Heat in 6. 

NBA Finals Schedule

Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat

Game 1: At Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday (ABC)
Game 2: At Denver, 8 p.m. ET Sunday (ABC)
Game 3: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 7 (ABC)
Game 4: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 9 (ABC)
*Game 5: At Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET June 12 (ABC)
*Game 6: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 15 (ABC)
*Game 7: At Denver, 8 p.m. ET June 18 (ABC)

* - if necessary

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NBA MVP Race: Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis All Eye The League's Top Award

Left to Right: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić

By: Joshua Martin

It's always difficult to separate the best from the best. And this year’s MVP race, more than normal, is the closest it's been in quite some time. 

The newly minted Michael Jordan Trophy - awarded to the KIA NBA Most Valuable Player, doesn't reflect who is actually the best player in the league but his value to his organization. Which basically means, team context matters, along with impressive counting stats.

As the NBA season draws to a close, There are three MVP-level players who are clearly having MVP-caliber seasons.

I'm not a voter but if I had to place my money on a candidate, I would go with Embiid. The fact that Giannis and Jokic have won MVPs already benefits him greatly in this year’s race. 

However, let's do our due diligence and make cases for each of the top three candidates. 

1.)Why He Deserves the Trophy

2.)Why He Won't WIn It

We are literally splitting hairs with this one, which often makes debates such as this one quite contentious and fairly complicated. But let’s take it back to the basics, what do your eyes tell you?

1. Joel Embiid

“The Process” has been on a mission this season. It seems as if the 76ers recent playoff disappointments have motivated the big man to take his game to an even higher level. 

1.) Embiid has the counting stats - 33.6 ppg 10.3 rbg 1.8 bpg on 55% shooting from the floor.

He leads the league in scoring and is top ten in rebounds, blocks and free throw attempts.

His team at the moment is the third seed in the East and is poised to make a strong playoff push. 

He deserves the award because of his overall play. I've never seen a traditional Center with his shooting ability, the Sixers even trust Embiid to hit their technical free throws. 

2.) The biggest detraction one could make is body language apparently. On a radio show on Sirius FM Radio, Hall of Fame Coach George Karl had this to say about Embiid. 

“I don’t want to bad mouth Embiid because I think he’s really, really good… But he takes too many possessions off. He has lazy body language.” - George Karl

Not sure if body language should be high on the voter’s list of meaningful criteria but when you're having the type of season Embiid is having it can't all be hugs and kisses.

2. Nikola Jokic

1.) “The Joker '' is probably one of the more unique players we've ever seen. Normally when you think of an athlete dominating his or her sport, one would often envision supreme athleticism. This isn't the Joker’s style. The 6 '11 Serbian big man routinely posts video game-like numbers for a Denver Nuggets squad currently sitting atop the Western Conference. 

His 24.7 ppg 11.9 rbg 9.9 apg is nothing to sneeze at either. Jokic may be the least disposable player on this list. To put it simply, the Nuggets perform as the best team in the league with Jokic and are the worst team by a mile without him.  

2.) Voter fatigue may be the reason Jokic doesn't claim his 3rd consecutive MVP. Something we haven't seen since Larry Bird back in the 80’s. (1984-1986)

Unfortunately, We’ve seen this before. Many fans have grown numb to Jokic’s gaudy stat line. His poor defensive performances against elite competition doesn't help his case either. 

Draymond shared his thoughts on the race on his podcast.

“Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo is who I believe the MVP race has come down to. [Nikola Jokic], incredible year, [but] as of late he’s slipped and those guys have continued to ascend. As of late the Denver Nuggets have slipped and those two teams have ascended,” Green said in the latest episode of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, per NBC Sports Bay Area.

With this being such a tight race, how you finish is definitely more important than how you start. They are currently 5-5 in their last ten games and their once stranglehold on the West has dwindled to a 3 and half game lead. 

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

1.) “The Greek Freak” checks all the boxes. His stat line is comparable to his contemporaries on this list. He is currently averaging 31.3 ppg 11.9 rbg 5.6 apg and he has the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference. No one plays the game with more effort and energy on both sides of the ball. With the recent slippage of the Nuggets and Embiid’s reputation, Giannis might capture his 3rd MVP. 

2.) Familiarity breeds contempt. As in the case with Jokic, we have seen this before. We all know how great Giannis is. To be honest it's not a stretch to call him the best player in the league regardless of numbers or accolades. Our numbness to his dominance exists through no fault of his own. In fact he recently voiced his frustrations with the ever evolving criteria for the MVP trophy. 

“Like, I believe — and I know — that people are dominating,” the Bucks forward said, via The Athletic. “So what is the MVP? Is it the guy who scores the most points? Is it the guy who’s the most efficient? Is it the guy who is the most dominant? Is it the guy who is the most valuable? Sometimes, the best player isn’t the most valuable player on the team. Like, I feel like Brook [Lopez] is such a valuable player for our team. Like [the MVP criteria] just f*****g — sorry for my language — it just changes. As I said again, I can’t control that. I can control only how I prepare for the game and try to be ready for the game.” 

Hmmm… My thoughts exactly.

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