Rick Barry Discusses Jaylen Brown's Record-Breaking Contract Extension, Kristaps Porzingis Trade, Two Suggested Superstar Additions for Boston Celtics, Who's Face of the NBA

Rick Barry weighs in on various topics pertaining to the Boston Celtics, including Jaylen Brown's historic contract and the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis.

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Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry shared his thoughts on the Boston Celtics’ offseason transactions. One prominent event was the re-signing of Jaylen Brown for a league-high $304 million over five years.

Barry told Eric Jay Santos from Inside The Celtics that he’s astonished by the extent to which contracts have grown in value.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think an NBA player would be able to make that kind of money playing basketball," conveyed the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team member. It's astonishing what’s actually happened. The Golden State Warriors could have been purchased for… $18 million years ago. They’re worth over $5 billion now. It shows you the power of television and marketing. Jaylen is one of those fortunate individuals to get a contract like that, ($304 million over five years), which will take care of his family for generations. I’m happy for him and also in total disbelief as to the amount of money that's being paid.”

In June, the Celtics dealt Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Barry expressed that it’s too early to assess the Porzingis trade but front offices should be cautious about parting ways with key players.

“Who knows (what will happen) when you start changing one or two important pieces of a team? Just like (the Golden State Warriors during the 1975-1976 season), we played well during the (regular) season. We lost in the playoffs, when we got rid of (Alfred) Beard. That was a big mistake on our team’s part. He was our starting point guard. He was a steady influence. We made that change and I think it cost us a chance to win another championship. You have the same thing going on here. (Marcus) Smart was an important element to (the Celtics’) success. Everybody plays their role, and are the people that you bring in going to be as good or better than those people that are taking their role to a different team… It’s a big question mark.”

Barry conveyed that the Dallas Mavericks have an intriguing, yet limiting offensive dynamic, as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both dominant floor generals. The 79-year-old suggested that the Celtics and Mavericks could enhance their respective lineups by swapping pieces of their superstar duos.

“(Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving) are more facilitators than (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown). (Tatum and Brown) are players who can score. The ideal thing would be, but (Irving) already left and had his chance, to have one of them on the Boston Celtics and one of them on the (Dallas Mavericks). Then, you’d have a hell of a combination.”

Barry explained why the addition of Doncic or Irving could be appealing for the Celtics.

“There’s only one ball. You’ve gotta have somebody who is able to be smart enough to distribute it into the hands of the right person at the right time. It’s nice if one of those guys is a point guard. Neither (Tatum or Brown) is a point guard.”

Barry refrained from speculating on which up-and-coming superstar will emerge as a dominant force in the league. Instead, the former Golden State Warriors forward identified Stephen Curry as the current face of the NBA.

“To me, the biggest face of the NBA is Stephen Curry because more people can relate to him. A normal, everyday human being can’t relate to LeBron James. He’s an anomaly… a big, powerful guy, and there are not many people like LeBron James. There are people who look like Stephen Curry, are built like Stephen Curry, but they don’t play basketball like Stephen Curry.”

Further Reading

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