NBA Free Agency: Jaylen Brown Lands Biggest Contract in NBA History

One of the NBA's biggest offseason storylines came to a conclusion on Tuesday as the Celtics and Jaylen Brown agreed to a five-year supermax deal worth $304 million. That is the richest contract in the league's history, thanks largely to changes to the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). While the deal elevates Brown over the league's top superstars, getting the deal done was far from easy.

While the supermax contract is now official, many suspected Brown may pass on the money to leave the Celtics. NBA insiders shared that the star was frustrated with the organization and city. Brown had also been close with former coach Ime Udoka, who he felt was treated poorly by Boston upon his exit. Brown only intensified the rumors after refusing to comment on his future with the team during the season.

Despite the Celtics' ability to offer him far more money than any other team, Brown took a long time to take this deal. While we don't have information on the negotiations as of yet, it seems clear that Brown's feelings about staying in Boston were, at best, mixed. That led to several teams inquiring about trading for the star, but those offers ended when Brown signed the deal yesterday.

While Jaylen Brown is an elite talent, he is not even his team's best player. That made many scratch their heads when Boston offered him the largest contract in the history of the NBA, but there is more to the story. A new CBA was agreed to in June, which included a provision that allowed teams to offer more money when resigning veteran players.

NBA contracts are a complicated and convoluted process, but the deal essentially allowed teams to offer current veteran players up to 140% more than their previous salary. That number is up from 120%, which is why Boston was able to award such a rich contract. It is an impressive mark, but the number will be topped soon as more stars become eligible for the new supermax. That includes Brown's teammate, Jayson Tatum, who will be eligible after this season.

While the Celtics were already considered to be a top-three favorite to win this season's NBA title, they saw a boost in their odds soon after locking in Brown. They already saw their odds jump after trading for Kristaps Porzingis, and Brown now gives them one of the best trios in the league. Many NBA betting sites now have the Celtics and Nuggets as either co-favorites or top contenders to win the championship this season.

FanDuel Sportsbook gave Boston the most significant odds bump so far, making them the lone favorite to win the NBA title at +470. FanDuel has the Nuggets as the second favorite at +480, followed by the Bucks at +600 and the Suns at +650. Expect to see those odds continue to shift now that Brown has signed.

While many expected Brown to return to the team at some point, the rumors swirling around Brown and the Celtics made bettors hesitant to bet on the team. With the superstar now committed to Boston's future, that hesitation will be gone, and more bets will cause these odds to move.