Boston Celtics fans may be delighted to see both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown earn All-NBA recognition, as the league recently revealed. For Tatum, it’s the first-team honors, and for Brown, it was the second-team honors.
Both players certainly deserve their latest accolades after, once again, another strong season where both averaged north of 26 points per game while providing excellent defense, helping the Celtics become the second-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Yet, the Boston fanbase shouldn’t get too excited as the All-Stars’ recent achievements will also cost the franchise a lot more salary-wise once they both sign new contracts.
Had Brown not reached All-NBA status, he would have been eligible to sign a four-year, $190 million extension in 2024. Now that he’s been named to the All-NBA team, Brown’s potential earnings skyrocket to a super-max extension worth $295 million over five years. Not exactly a small difference.
The same goes for Tatum, who now has earned back-to-back All-NBA honors and is now eligible for a five-year, $318 million extension with Boston, beginning in 2025.
Obviously, the Celtics would prefer to keep both players, and that’s likely still their goal, but due to Tatum and Brown’s excellence, Boston will have to pay a much higher price to do so. Yet, depending on their success against the Philadelphia 76ers in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup, maybe the Celtics try and get ahead of their future bills by shaking up the roster later this offseason.
Either way, the Celtics’ payroll just got a lot higher, if both Tatum and Brown stick around in Beantown for several more seasons. Chances are, if the Celtics can win their 18th NBA Championship, no one will care how much it costs.