Celtics Rumors: Boston Could Lose Former Top Pick If They Stretch Until Next Summer

The Boston Celtics are one of the curious teams this coming NBA season. Despite the exit of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, they still have a couple of familiar young names in the mix. These are Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Of the two, Brown is expected to go all out for the 2019-20 season. He is due to become a restricted free agent next summer and the Celtics could dangle him an extension. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be happening, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com learned from league sources.

"According to a league source, 'the chance is pretty slim' that Brown signs a long-term deal with the team in the coming month. Around the league, the expectation is that Brown and the Celtics won't come to a deal," he wrote.

If spot on, this means the Celtics would rather wait than secure Brown for now. The ploy is nothing new since it is the same approach Boston did with Marcus Smart last year. The Celtics eventually re-signed the 25-year-old guard to a four-year $52 million contract, Boston.com reported.

Things could change, however, especially if Brown comes out with a banner season. Aware that he is in the final year of his deal, the third overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft may use the coming NBA wars as an audition not only for the Cs but other teams in the offseason.

Brown owns career averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.4 minutes of action. He has started in 115 of 222 regular-season games. Those numbers could improve starting this 2019-20 season, depending on head coach Brad Stevens. With the likes of Irving and Horford out, the Celtics are expected to rely on old faces to hold up the fort.

It will be interesting if this ploy pays off for team president Danny Ainge. He has done it in the past and appears to be sticking to that approach. Looking at Brown's numbers now, the Celtics may want to see more out of the 22-year-old swingman. Should he come up with a breakout season, the 6-foot-7 cager knows that his options will not be limited to the Celtics. If a team offers him a max deal, Boston may or may not offer that pitch.