Surgery may be the next step for Jaylen Brown now that the Celtics have been eliminated from the playoffs, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Sources tell Shelburne that the nagging knee pain Brown has been experiencing over the past few weeks is caused by a partially torn right meniscus.
Brown will be evaluated this week to see if surgery or rest is the best course of action, according to Shelburne’s sources, who say he has been receiving pain management injections in the knee since March.
Along with the injections, Brown has been adjusting his style of play to avoid putting undue strain on the knee. He admitted that he doesn’t have his usual explosiveness around the rim, but he still found a way to be effective, averaging 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 10 playoff games, which were similar to his numbers from last year’s postseason when he was named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
Brown was asked about the condition of his knee after Boston’s Game 6 loss Friday night in New York.
“I don’t make excuses,” he told reporters. “Obviously, it’s tough the way we went out like tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I’m proud of our group.”
Brown’s future will be one of many intriguing Celtics storylines to watch this summer. The team is expected to cut payroll with Jayson Tatum set to miss most or all of next season with a torn Achilles, and Brown’s super-max contract makes him a potential trade candidate. He’s owed $53.1MM next season and $236.2MM over the next four years.
Now is the time 100%.
Damn, these playoffs might have been the best in NBA history if all teams had their stars healthy.
Yes, Celtics will move Holiday and Porzingis and get under the 2nd apron. Gap year is in full affect.
Horford retires or gets moved too another contender.
Boston can still make playoffs due to the play in and East being terrible.
Horford is a free agent, he isn’t going to “get moved” anywhere.
Horford will retire and join the Celtics staff. He plays for Boston or retires, there is no third choice.
Yes, we fans, and I bet Al himself, believe he has to retire, when he does, as a Boston Celtic, as a beloved Celtic!
> Celtics will move Holiday and Porzingis and get under
> the 2nd apron. Gap year is in full affect.
Please explain.
Best case is getting under the 2nd apron in 2026-27, not 2025-26, right?
How do you trade Holliday? Who wants a 35 year old with 3 years left on a $35M/yr contract?
If you trade a $35M and $30M contract (Porzingis) contract, doesn’t equal value have to come back? If the new players’ contracts expire at the end of this coming season, cap space isn’t freed up until then.
Well Holiday is easy. He will be moved and I saw a proposed Clipper trade that would save the Celtics $10 million. Porzingis will be moved to a team with cap space and picks will be added.
I have seen at least 3 deals for Holiday that moves him to a contender and saves money for Boston. Holiday will be easy to move.
Porzingis will be much harder, but doable and Detroit looks nice. Under the Cap and we can send them Hauser and a pick as well.
BTW you do know we have Brad Stevens as a GM, the best GM in the NBA.
I am not worried at all and I will bet Brad has already fielded call for Holiday.
CF, no, the Clippers are absolutely not a trade candidate for 35 year old, $35M/yr Jrue Holiday. With Tatum gone, this is now one of the 2-3 worst, least movable contracts in the NBA. You still haven’t named a team/GM that would take this contract without sweeteners from the Celtics.
As for the Clippers, it’s not just that they don’t have extra cap space, it’s that the combination of James Harden, Norman Powell, and Kris Dunn in the backcourt is a strength of the team, and at an affordable price.
Stevens extended Holiday to go “all in” on winning this season and next season (2025-26). Everybody knew at that time this would be a bad contract afterward, in 2026-27 and 2027-28, but that’s part of going “all in”. It’s just bad luck that Tatum got injured, making this a “negative contract” earlier than expected.
Yep I’m not sure how they’re going to move Jrue.
Y’all just say anything on this site. Brad Stevens is not a great GM. This is Danny Angie team. All the picks and young players cam from Angie. Bos just has some wired cult going on. The head coach really isn’t all that good either. He mainly last year because every team he played was hurt in the playoffs and those are facts. Team well be a 8-10 next year. But they will have a hard time dumping salary. The money they handed out last year was crazy, especially for going through the Eastern conference and not even beating teams that were fully healthy. Not to say that bos is not a contender. They are and a really good team. With a long-term contracts for the players 35. 34 too much money
Yeah….. because Ainge was still around when Smart was traded for KP, when Jrue was acquired for Brogdon, and Sam Hauser was drafted. Yall just say anything on this site, you’re right.
Drew holiday fell in their laps and that was more Milwaukee than anything. They wanted dame and Portland didn’t want to keep Drew. What other team was going to trade for him?. His contract is untreatable pretty much right now. I don’t really even see him a team taking him unless they dump more capital for him. So they got one chip with the highest payroll in NBA history.
Kp has been a disaster. He did even play all playoffs and every team in the East was hurt last year. Fact or fiction?
Sam houser – what role did he play in the playoffs. He comes in for spot minutes and plays behind. Oh guess who? Jaylen, Brown and JT were both drafted by Danny ainge. So when he puts a team together and they compete I’ll give him credit.
The head coach is not that good. They play the same way last year. The only difference was Indy was injured. Every team that they played in the playoffs last year had a hurt player except for the finals. And that was more of a match-up problem as in Luka doesn’t play the defense and nor does Kyrie Irving. Who allows their team for two straight games to blow 20-point leads by chucking up three after three after 3. They did that in game four in which they were going to lose that weather Tatum went down or not.
What I just stated was facts.
You keep harping about injuries like that isn’t part of the playoffs every year? It’s literally who can hold it together the longest wins the trophy. But you just come off as a hater lol
It’s so stupid for players to play with injuries. They don’t help a team win and they jeopardize their own future. Celtics love to dump players after injury. Ask Thomas.
How’s he played since that correct decision was made?
Right! Everyone acts like Boston shoulda paid him anyway but they clearly made the right move.
Houston is looking for their missing piece, and they have lots to offer. Brown and Udoka reamain on good terms from everything I’ve seen/read, and Brown was nothing but supportive of Udoka through that whole mess. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jaylen in a Rockets uniform.
Againigan – Intriguing! Brown to the Rockets as part of a Celtics rebuild makes a ton of sense. Udoka would LOVE to have JB. Celtics need to restructure.
Celtics get young pieces to replace the departing Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford, and the flexibility to free up cap space to retain Luke Kornet.
Houston gets: Brown $53M
Boston gets:
* Jeremy Green $32M
* 2 of these Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith, Cam Whitmore or Tari Eason $20M
if necessary, for matching:
* Jock Londale ($8M backup C, gone in 1 year, helps replace Porzingis, Horford)
Houston’s roster is complete, ready to compete for a Chip.
Boston escapes 2nd apron, loads up on young talent, and has optionality for more moves.
Why would the Celtics get bench players for their star? When they can trade for better teams, like the Bucks for Giannis?
They can’t afford Giannis because they’re way over the tax apron and Giannis makes even more than Brown.
These aren’t all “bench players”. They’re high lottery picks that are under 23 years old. Green, at 22, is a career starter that scores > 20 ppg.
If the Celtics decide to trade Brown, which is what the article mentions, IMO, this is the type of package they’d want.
Brown’s contract is $304M to Giannis $222M+. With Tatum’s out for a year, I don’t think the Celtics will trade Brown. They will probably trade players not named Tatum and Brown. Still there have better package with other teams.