Jaylen Brown’s move to Philadelphia did not just shake up the league - it immediately brought a contract question with it.
After the Celtics agreed to send Brown to the 76ers in a blockbuster deal for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that Brown will be eligible for an extension on July 26. That update matters because it could keep the All-NBA forward under contract with Philadelphia through the 2029-2030 season.
Brown still has three years left on the five-year supermax deal he signed with Boston in 2023, so the 76ers are not exactly starting from scratch here. But if they want this partnership to last, the next move is right there on the calendar. Marks wrote on X, "Jaylen Brown: Eligible to sign a 1 year extension on 7/26,".
The trade itself signals exactly what Philadelphia is trying to do. The 76ers are pushing all the chips in for a title run next season, and a core built around Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and rising guard VJ Edgecombe gives them a very real shot at making that push matter. Brown’s arrival also comes at a cost: the draft capital going out the door, plus George, a former All-Star who is clearly on the decline.
George now has extension eligibility with Boston as well, although it is highly unlikely the Celtics would commit to a major new deal after the season he just had.
For Philadelphia, Brown is the prize. He is one of the league’s best two-way players, and the fit gives the 76ers a higher ceiling right away. The money part will have to be sorted soon enough, but the basketball part is obvious: Brown in Philly changes the temperature of the whole picture.
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Shohei Ohtanis All-Star Pitching Status Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
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Philadelphias outlook is still fluid, though, because All-Star pitching plans have a way of changing as the season goes on and rotations get shuffled. If the scheduling around the top NL arms holds, Sanchezs case gets stronger, and Zack Wheeler remains another name worth watching for the Phillies if the league ends up looking elsewhere for its starter. [Read more 🡒]