Celtics: Jaylen Brown may bolt in 2024 for this reason

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown recently made headlines with comments made about his free agency in 2024. While Brown didn’t say that he would leave Boston, he didn’t exactly commit either. That is to be expected, this far out from next summer but it does reinforce the belief that he could eventually leave.

Celtics legend Paul Piece believes it’s possible:

Pierce doesn’t exactly have a sterling reputation, post-playing career but the Truths statement could ring true. Brown is in the middle of a career season, but he hasn’t received nearly as much attention as fellow Celtic star Jayson Tatum.

He may be okay with that now but other teams could use that in their sales pitch to try and lure him away. Brown is a star, possibly even a superstar, and they don’t always like playing second fiddle or being perceived as doing so. That’s partly why Kevin Durant left Golden State after it became clear that it was always going to be Steph Curry’s team. Brown could eventually feel the same and seek to spread his wings elsewhere.

If Brown makes an all-NBA team, then the Celtics stand a good chance of keeping him since he’d qualify for a 5-year, $290 million contract. If he doesn’t, however, their financial advantage isn’t nearly as big and plenty of teams will have major cap space next summer.

Signing him away from Boston would also have the bonus effect of severely weakening a contender in an already fairly wide-open field. But can Brown be the best player on a championship team? maybe not, though, either way, he will certainly be paid like one.

Ultimately, Brown’s decision will likely linger over next season, especially if he doesn’t make all-NBA. That puts added pressure on the Celtics to win it all, in hopes of convincing Brown to stay next summer.