data-mm-id=”_lmvbttloi”>On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics inked Jaylen Brown to a supermax extension and the numbers are nothing short of obscene. The new deal is worth a whopping $304 million over five years, meaning Brown will make $60 million per season over the life of the contract. An absolutely massive haul — and one that many are calling an overpay from the outset. BREAKING: Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has agreed to a five-year, $304 million supermax contract extension with the franchise, per sources. This is the richest deal in NBA history, negotiated by agent Jason Glushon. Fully guaranteed, with a trade kicker. No player option. pic.twitter.com/MQ6NKILY8Q— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 25, 2023The argument for why it's an overpay isn't complicated. Brown averaged 26.6 points per game last season and made second-team All-NBA at 26 years old, but the last time we saw him on the court, he was simply awful. Brown averaged 19 points per game against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, shooting 41 percent from the field and an atrocious 16 percent from three, while averaging 3.6 turnovers per contest. His pièce de résistance of bad play came in Game 7. Jayson Tatum got hurt on the first play of the game and was clearly hobbled. It all fell on Brown to propel his team to a historic comeback. And, as Brown himself said in the postgame press conference, he failed. He shot 8-for-23, including 1-of-9 from three, and recorded five turnovers in the 19-point loss. Scoring points in bunches in the regular season is all well and good but players are paid to win when it matters most. Brown has been in a ton of playoff games in his career and has generally played well. Even this postseason he averaged nearly 25 points per game in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But collapsing like he did in an elimination game leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth. To then see him receive the richest contract in NBA history? It's only natural the discourse is falling like this. In a vacuum, Brown is not worth $60 million a year. Hell, I don't know if there are more than five NBA players worth that much. But as we know, folks, sports are not played in a vacuum. And while the price tag is absolutely outlandish, the Celtics had to do it. Paying $300 million to a guy who will always be the second option while Tatum is still on the team feels crazy. But it has been proven time and time again that no one NBA player can win a championship on their own. The Celtics are not giving Brown all this money with the expectation that he can be the best player on a championship team. They are paying him to be Tatum's No. 2. To be the guy behind the superstar who picks up the slack when necessary, a trait all title teams have. That makes the contract an overpay, because all logic suggests only the very best players should make $300 million, but it was also necessary. This was the only path for the Celtics. They were the only team who could give Brown this much money. If they didn't, then he would've taken it as a sign of disrespect and left in free agency next offseason, leaving the team no way to replace him. They couldn't have even traded him in that scenario (or at least not for anything worthwhile) because star players on expiring contracts are always a threat to leave and no team is giving up the farm with that kind of risk. A sign-and-trade was not permissible under CBA rules. This decision boiled down to either overpaying Brown or losing him for close to nothing. He may not be a top-10 NBA player but he's definitely top-20 and his All-NBA selection suggests he's closer to top-15. These are marginal differences but they do matter. And, as always, there will be a lot of hubbub about this being the richest contract in NBA history. That side of the narrative will be forgotten by this time next year when someone else signs a supermax and takes the label for themselves. The cap will keep rising but the supermax percentage remains the same. Brown's deal is worth more than Nikola Jokic's $270 million supermax signed last offseason simply because the cap rose from last year to this year, not because the Celtics think Brown is better than Jokic. Ultimately it comes down to this — how much do you think the second-best player on a title contender is worth? If you think $60 million annually is too steep for that type of player, that's a fair stance. NBA teams, though, feel those kinds of players are priceless because winning titles is all that matters and you simply cannot win a title without those kinds of players. Boston is in as good a position as nearly any team. The Celtics have their superstar cornerstone. Now they have their All-Star, All-NBA sidekick locked down for the next five years. That is where basic NBA team-building starts– get your two superstars and figure it out from there. The Celtics paid a steep price to ensure they have that foundation. A foundation that guarantees some level of contention every year. And that is a price every team would be willing to pay.
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Odds: 1/2 @
Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, Middlesbrough will welcome Reading to the Riverside.
Starting with the hosts, watching their stellar purple patch come to an abrupt end away at West Brom last weekend, Middlesbrough will be seeking an immediate response here. However, despite eventually getting hit with a 2-0 loss away at the Hawthorns, Michael Carrick s side should still find the mood in their camp at a continued high. Only continuing to shine since appointing the ex-Manchester United coach last year, Boro now find themselves sat in pole position to claim a play-off spot in 2023. Skyrocketing their way up the Championship table since returning from the World Cup s winter break, Carri…
Luis Aragones s tenure as national coach came to a glorious and deserving conclusion here on Sunday with Spain s success over Germany in the Euro 2008 final.
Approaching his 70th birthday he became the oldest coach to win the European title but he must have shed half his years as he watched captain Iker Casillas hold aloft the coveted Cup which Spain has only held in its hands once before in 1964.
Aragones had warned bleakly on the eve of the final that no one remembers who comes second well he needn t have worried as Fernando Torres s first half goal ensured the world and his wife will recall his Spanish team for many a year to come.
Back in the dark days of Spain s early qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 Aragones had tendered his resignation as coach after …
Ronald Koeman claimed he has seen a big change in his Barcelona players compared to the way they started the season in LaLiga.
The Blaugrana made it five wins out of five Champions League matches with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Ferencvaros in Champions League Group G on Wednesday.
Barca will have the chance to win all six of their group games for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign when they face Juventus at Camp Nou next Tuesday.
Koeman s side have struggled in LaLiga this season, though, and are 12 points behind leaders Real Sociedad – albeit with two games in hand – after losing three and drawing two of their opening nine games.
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Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas, who played a key role in Spain s Euro 2008 victory, should win the Ballon d Or award as the world footballer of the year, Spanish legend Emilio Butragueno said Friday.
Tradition dictates that only forwards win the award. But Iker is a special goalkeeper, not just this year, but throughout his career, the former Real Madrid striker and vice-president told the club s website.
The fact that he s a European champion and the role he played in the quarter-finals make him deserve it more than anyone. He must win the Balon d Or, he added.
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Verdict: Tottenham win
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With only one Premier League victory in the past two months, Southampton find themselves at the heart of a relegation battle, and after Saturday s results find themselves in the bottom three for the first time this season. The Saints will welcome a free-scoring Tottenham side to St. Mary s on Sunday afternoon.
Southampton
For Southampton, the Saints torrid run continued last weekend. With Abdoulaye Doucoure s last minute handball going unnoticed, Mauricio Pellegrino s side were unable to capitalize on their 2-0 lead at Watford. Leaving Vicardigde Road with just a point, Southampton s winless run continues. Without a Premier League win in their last 10 outings, the Saints find themselves firmly involved i…
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Janssen s good performances have not gone unnoticed elsewhere with Tottenham and Everton also believed to be keeping a close eye on the prolific attacker.
We have a number of options for the position of striker, Allofs told Kicker.
We have already held talks with Janssen.
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Juventus are willing to bid 14 million euros to land promising Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to a report.
Juventus are willing to bid 14 million euros to land promising Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to a report.
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I believe in my team, he told a media conference. I believe in the players and in these difficult moments they are continuing behind the same philosophy. It makes me optimistic and positive.
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A host of Napoli players have paid tribute to Carlo Ancelotti following his sacking, with the Italian lauded as a special person by Lorenzo Insigne and others.
Ancelotti was dismissed on Tuesday despite guiding Napoli to a 4-0 win over Genk earlier in the day, securing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
It has been a difficult first half of the season for Napoli, with underwhelming league form combining with tension between Ancelotti and the club s hierarchy.
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Napoli threatened sanctions in the wake …