Kendrick Perkins Confident Celtics, Jaylen Brown Will Reach Agreement

The Boston Celtics have until Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. ET to reach an agreement with Jaylen Brown on his rookie contract extension. And Kendrick Perkins, now an ESPN analyst, is confident they’ll be able to do so.

Boston hasn’t extended a rookie contract since it did so with Rajon Rondo back in 2009, but Danny Ainge on Thursday said the two sides are working toward a result before Monday’s deadline. Perkins expressed confidence in the two sides’ ability to get a deal done Thursday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” emphasizing the value Boston sees in Brown.

“Danny Ainge doesn’t do this on rookie deals, and that speaks volumes on how high they are on Jaylen Brown,” Perkins said. “If he said they’re going to get something done Monday, I’m pretty sure they are. I applaud them because I love Jaylen Brown.”

If Monday night’s deadline passes without an extension, Brown will hit restricted free agency following the 2019-20 season. Boston will be able to extend a qualifying offer during that time, so there’s still a solid chance they would bring him back, similar to Marcus Smart’s last free agency go-round.

The Celtics open their regular-season slate Wednesday on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.