Celtics' Brad Stevens Backs Jaylen Brown amid Trade Rumors: 'He's a Big Part of Us'
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens insisted Thursday that the organization wants All-Star Jaylen Brown to remain in the fold.
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Stevens said: "I can say without a doubt we want Jaylen to be here, he's a big part of us, we believe in him and I'm thankful for him. I'm really thankful for when guys have success, they come back to work. When they get beat, they own it and they come back to work."
Brown is under contract for just one more season after signing a four-year, $106.3 million extension in 2019, and there has been plenty of speculation regarding the Celtics potentially trading him.
However, on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective this week, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said he believes there is a "very good chance" Brown and the Celtics will reach some type of agreement on a new deal.
The 26-year-old Brown is coming off his best statistical season, as he averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.4 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals.
That was good enough to earn him his second career All-Star nod and first since the 2020-21 season.
Brown remained productive during the Celtics' playoff run, averaging 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 trifectas and 1.1 steals over 20 postseason games.
After falling to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals last season, the Celtics had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference this year and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston fell behind 3-0 in the series to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat, but the Celtics reeled off three consecutive wins to send the series back to Boston for a decisive Game 7.
On Monday, the Celtics were seemingly out of gas, as the Heat won 103-84 and punched their ticket to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
The Celtics have made nine consecutive playoff appearances and gone on several deep runs during that time, but they have not won a championship since 2008.
Trading a player of Brown's caliber would likely set the franchise back and knock it off its championship course, so it makes far more sense to re-sign Brown and pair him with fellow star Jayson Tatum for the foreseeable future.
If Boston does not move on from Brown, essentially its entire core is in line to be back for the 2023-24 season.
Brown, Tatum, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford and Robert Williams III are all under contract for next season, making the Celtics one of the deepest teams in the league.
Boston fell just one win short of a second straight NBA Finals appearance this season, so there is little doubt that running it back gives the Celtics the best chance to contend again next season.
