Jaylen Brown did not like the all-star and All-NBA award voting processes.
The systems grew political, he mentioned in the past, and as recently as last week in Washington. Less than two weeks before the submission of votes that could drastically sway his earning power, and Boston’s ability to re-sign him, teammates began speaking out in support of him.
“A lot of stuff is out of the my control and it is what it is at the end of the day,” Brown said. “I understand how the game works, it’s not always about who are the best players. Sometimes it can be a little bit political and depends on who feels comfortable with voting (for whom). All I do is come out every night and try to help my team win, and be the best version of myself. I don’t try to step on any toes. I just come out and be Jaylen Brown and do what I’m asked, and I have fun doing it. I have fun winning.”
Brown, averaging 26.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and shooting 49.3% from the field during his best offensive season yet, qualifies strongly at forward, or lands in a competitive field of guards that become the last limited by positions. According to reports, Brown, Malcolm Brogdon and the NBPA, in tandem with the league, agreed to a new system in their seven-year collective bargaining agreement that eliminates positions.
Voters would simply submit their top-15 NBA players in future seasons, picking six guards, six forwards and three centers for the final time this month. Brown will be eligible for both positions, with all his votes going toward the majority that voters select for him. If enough see him as All-NBA worthy and separate him as a forward to narrow down the guard field in a weak season for forwards, the Celtics can offer him a super-max extension worth roughly five-years, $290.3 million this summer.
Brogdon called Brown the best shooting guard in the NBA, an important distinction, while advocating for his All-NBA status after Brown scored 41 points in last weeks’ win over the Spurs. Grant Williams tweeted that Brown and Jayson Tatum deserve All-NBA, while Derrick White should earn an All-Defensive team nod. Stressing his eligibility at forward could help him most. The media’s role in the super max determination did not change, but remains somewhat controversial.
“The position thing is really difficult, because there’s a lot of really great, talented players for the best 15 players in the league that given year,” Williams told CLNS Media in Washington D.C. last week. “Then, in regards to the actual voting matter, it’s something that’s difficult to determine, because you can’t allow players to vote, because when players vote, it leads to favoritism, stuff like that, but that’s still the case with the media, so then coaches, that could determine contracts and that might be something, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what’s best.”
“The system that we have currently may be the best, but at the same time, we want to make sure we also understand that the players getting voted on are the ones putting in the work and actually playing throughout the entire season. These guys, I look at J.T. and J.B., they’ve missed, what? 12 games each? … throughout the entire course of the year, and I think that’s deserving of understanding that they’ve not only played to the highest level, but also not missed many games.”
The new CBA, agreed upon before last Friday’s deadline for the NBA and player’s union to opt-out of their current deal, remains un-finalized, but the handshake provision increases the urgency for Brown’s anointment this season. Beyond allowing more players from a single position, it’ll likely mandate 65 games played to qualify.
Brown recently signaled discontent with the Celtics and Boston in interviews with the New York Times and Ringer, setting up an important offseason for the team to gain clarity on his outlook with them. If they offer the super max and he declines it, that would likely signal the end of his time with the Celtics. If they can’t, since Brown didn’t make All-NBA, even the agreed-upon extension increases in the CBA won’t give clarity on his future.
“It’s not something we need to talk about,” Williams told CLNS on his tweet. “I did that on my own just because I wanted to keep that conversation going, because I feel like, even J.T., who was an MVP name, I’ve noticed that’s gone completely away from him, even though we’re one of the best teams in the league throughout the entire season. There’s a lot of recency bias in this league in regards to voting and awards, and I’ve always been huge on advocating these guys have been consistent throughout the entire year, helping one of the best teams in the league have success, and I just wanted to make sure that people understand that … for seasons to come.”
Brown became eligible for the old CBA’s 120% raise in the first-year of a new extension last offseason, allowing the Celtics to offer four-years, $165.2 million, starting at $36.9 million, less than a rival team could offer in free agency. The new CBA allows teams to offer their players an 140% raise, increasing Brown’s salary from $30.7-million next year to roughly $43-million, with 8% annual raises totaling $197.3-million over four years.
The sides reportedly discussed a raise as high as 150%, which would’ve reached 207.7-million in total value. Both fall short of years and total money than the designated veteran extension (super max), which remains 35% of the first-year cap, five-years, with 8% raises and only eligible for seven-year veterans who stayed with the same team.
That means Brown keeps his 140% raise potential if traded, a more important bridge closer to the super max value for teams that would trade for him than the Celtics, but he still loses the ability to sign the super max elsewhere in that scenario. The Celtics can sign him to a five-year, $248.8 million in free agency if he doesn’t reach super max status next year, which they could offer that summer if he makes All-NBA next year. Both paths force Boston to take him to unrestricted free agency — a massive, if necessary, risk. Though Brown would lose the most money, particularly the 8% raises, by leaving in free agency instead of a trade this summer now.
“It’s important for, I think, anybody who works like he does, or like I do, or like my teammates do, or that performs at the level he performs at, to get recognition,” Brogdon said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things. It’s not about the award or the name and the attention, but it’s about recognition. Especially at this level, that’s definitely important.”
While the Celtics say they did not discuss their expanded vocal support for Brown’s candidacy, it comes following a time where he questioned the organization’s intentions during the Kevin Durant trade reports, support from Tatum in that moment and the fan base. The team wants to make him feel wanted, and TD Garden gave him a standing ovation when he exited last Sunday’s game after he shot 18-for-29 during a rest night for Tatum.
Other things matter for Brown, including showing his capabilities beyond what he already did in recent seasons, continued growth and a championship. The Celtics benefit from his chase for all those, he averaged 27.1 PPG on 50.7% FG since his facial fracture left him wearing a mask in the month-plus since. Future uncertainty remains from his recent comments, though. The all-star voting process left him out of the starting lineup despite a dazzling scoring start to the year for he and the team.
A different result from the All-NBA voters, however much inspired by his recent comments and those from his teammates, sets the team up to make an offer he probably can’t refuse. With it, the franchise gets at least one more year of clarity since he’d become trade-ineligible for one year from the date of his extension.
“I don’t think he needs to get more credit for the way he’s playing. I just think he’s always had the ability to score, but now he has the ability to break defenses down,” Mazzulla said. “To understand how the defense is guarding him. To anticipate where the help is coming from, and then make the right play. To me, his scoring is obviously huge for us, but his decision-making and his reads have gotten a lot better, and it’s a credit to him.”
“We haven’t talked about (All-NBA),” he continued in Washington. “I think it just goes back to the locker room. The respect that they have for each other. The reality, for me, is he’s playing really, really good basketball. He has all year. He’s getting better and better. He’s doing a lot of great things on both ends of the floor. I don’t think it needs to be talked about. It’s more about the level he’s playing at and building attention to that.”
