Celtics' Brad Stevens 'Optimistic' on Jaylen Brown Contract Extension amid Rumors

Even though Jaylen Brown has yet to receive a supermax extension with the Boston Celtics despite being eligible to sign it for almost two weeks, there's not a lot of panic about a potential deal getting done from the team's perspective.

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters from Las Vegas Summer League he's "optimistic" things will work out with Brown.

"It's been all good discussion," Stevens said. "We want Jaylen to be here for a long, long time and we've made that clear. We're looking forward to all sitting down, and we've got time here. I probably shouldn't say anything else, but I feel optimistic."

Brown became eligible to sign a five-year, $295 million extension at 12:01 a.m. ET on July 1. His contract status has become a talking point since being named to the All-NBA team last season because it gave him the opportunity to cash in on a supermax deal.

There was speculation the Celtics might look to trade Brown, but Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported on June 19 they weren't going to deal the 26-year-old and all signs were pointing toward him signing the supermax extension.

One potential concern Boston might have about giving Brown a new deal is because the team also has the looming specter of Jayson Tatum being eligible for his own supermax extension starting next offseason.

Tatum's next deal can be worth up to $318 million over five years. If both players are to sign for the maximum amount, they would account for a combined average of $122.6 million per season.

Per estimates from RealGM.com, the salary cap for the 2025-26 season is $149.1 million with the luxury tax at $180.6 million.

There has been speculation the NBA could see another huge cap spike, similar to the one that occurred in the summer of 2016, after the 2024-25 season when the NBA's next television deal kicks in.

The league has yet to sign new television agreements, but Sahil Patel of The Information reported in March the NBA wants to triple its revenue on its next deals. The current contracts, signed in 2014, pay the league nearly $24 billion over nine years.

Brown has certainly earned the contract he's eligible for. The 26-year-old averaged a career-high 26.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season. It was the fourth consecutive year he's topped 20.0 points per contest, and he's a 36.5 percent shooter from three-point range in his career.

The Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the past four years, including a trip to the NBA Finals during the 2021-22 season.