Jaylen Brown is one of the stars linked to the New York Knicks. Brown was named to an All-NBA team this season. That makes him eligible for a “supermax” extension this off-season. For Brown, the extension would be worth $290 million over five years. The most likely scenario is that Brown signs the supermax extension this summer.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes in his essential guide to the offseason, 11 of the 12 players offered the supermax signed him. If things go sideways and Brown or the Celtics want to change course in the future, it should be easy for Boston to trade Brown. If Brown were to turn the tide and decide to reject the supermax extension, that would set off alarm bells in Boston. It would be clear then that Brown doesn’t want to be in Boston. Then the Celtics would, presumably, look for the best trade offer for Brown and move on.
The Knicks could trade Evan Fournier adding Toppin, Jericho Sims as well. However, with Brown on the roster along with other high-paying players, the Knicks could be in a tough financial spot. The new CBA has punitive rules for teams that spend above a certain threshold, particularly once they hit the 2024-25 season.