Jaylen Brown Rejects 4-Year, $80 Million Extension From Celtics

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. Photo by Jonathan Leibson/BFA/REX/Shutterstock (9419932an)

It seems like Boston Celtics’ wing Jaylen Brown is heading to free agency next year. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Brown declined Celtics’ rookie-scale extension and opted to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Celtics rarely offer rookie extensions ahead of time, with the most recent example being Rajon Rondo in 2009. But considering Brown’s talent and upside, Boston decided to change their policy and give the 22-year-old an offer. But it turned out to be not good.

Haynes reports that Celtics offered Jaylen Brown $80 million over four years, but the player rejected the extension, thinking he can get a substantially better offer next year. This might prove to be a good decision, especially since the 2020 free-agent class is not that strong. It’s important to note that Celtics can match any contract offer Brown receives from other NBA teams.

In order to fetch a max-contract offer next summer, Brown will have to take another step in his development. Since entering the league in 2016 as a third overall pick, he showed flashes of great talent, but never managed to break through as a potential star in the league. Over the course of these past three seasons, he played a total of 222 games (115 as a starter) and averaged 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.