We Finally Get Some Good News As Jaylen Brown And Jayson Tatum Both Made All NBA, Which Makes Them Supermax Eligible

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

Finally, some good news. Lord knows did we need it. Yesterday I blogged about how the next two days were some of the most important days in this era of Celtics basketball. The team completely fumbled the first one. All we had left was the hope that Jaylen Brown would be properly recognized for his season by being voted to an All NBA team. I didn't give a shit which one, he just needed to make one of em.

I can't lie, my heart was racing as Ernie read those names. When I didn't hear him on the third team and that LeBron got in, for some reason I got very nervous. For a split second I thought we were about to have one of the biggest All NBA snubs of all time, and then we got to the second envelope. Man, was it a relief it was to hear Jaylen's name. Not only because it is well deserved, but obviously his entire future now just became a little clearer

Now the important thing to start with here is the fact that all this means is that the team is now able to offer this kind of money. until they actually do, we have to just assume they will. My reasoning for that is pretty simple. Brad isn't dumb. Mike Zarren isn't dumb. I'm pretty sure they figured if Jaylen had a great year, this would be possible. If they weren't interested in offering it if he made it, why not trade him? By not trading him that basically told me Wyc is going to cut the check. Especially since they got Jaylen at a discount the first time around.

So for the sake of this blog, let's say they offer it. Here are the options for Jaylen this summer

1. Gets offered and accepts the full supermax

Seems like a no brainer if offered. No player has ever turned down a supermax extension and I can't imagine Jaylen will be the first. $295M is a shit ton of guaranteed money

2. Gets offered a lower percentage of a max but slightly closer to a full supermax

This is somethat that has happened. You're eligbile for the 35% cap hit but maybe you end up at like 33%. At that point I'd tell Wyc to stop being a cheap asshole and just pay the man his money. You're paying for an expensive team either way, what's another couple %'s. 

3. The Celtics offer Jaylen a normal 4 year max at $189M

I would consider this an extreme sign of disrespect if Brad were to go this route. Unless Jaylen comes to you and says I'd rather do this to help the team (why the hell would he?), this cannot be an option. I feel like if everyone now knows you could have offered 5/295M and instead you offered 4/189M? Yeah he's not extending and then leaving in free agency. I don't even know why I put this in there, because that would be insane.

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4. Jaylen turns down all extensions and enters the final year of his guaranteed deal

Now this is what I call the worst case scenario. It's definitely a little far fetched, but given that it's technically an option, I had to include it. Just because a team offers you an extension doesn't mean you have to take it. If you truly want out, there's max money waiting for you on the open market. Maybe not $295M, but regular max money which is still a nice chunk of change. 

At the end of the day, we're going to know one way or the other when it comes to Jaylen's future. Either the team offers the supermax and he accepts, or if he doesn't extend then you almost have to look to move him as opposed to losing the asset for nothing. 

When it comes to that option, there are some things to remember when it comes to extensions. If Jaylen signs a supermax, he can't be traded for 1 year. If he signs a normal extension, he can't be traded for 6 months, which means you're looking at around the trade deadline in 2024. If he signs no extensions, you can move him this summer.

That's why today was so massive in my opinion. Given that Jaylen has backed up his season with a fairly strong postseason, those are the guys you simply have to pay.

Things will get tricky in the future with the new CBA, Tatum's supermax and the new rules. It will require some navigation and deal making, but last time I check those are two things that Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren are pretty damn good at. With no real way to replace a player of Jaylen's talent, you cannot screw around. Pay to keep your own guys and figure the rest out later.

Now that this is out of the way, please focus on Game 6. It's only your entire season.