Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum seems to be close to getting a max contract extension. ESPN’s NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said the Celtics will soon be offering a max contract.
Tatum started his NBA career when the Celtics drafted him with the third overall pick in 2017. At a time when they were rebuilding and looking for a youngster after losing their stars, Tatum seemed to be the answer. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Playing for Duke, Tatum had averaged just under 30 points, posting six 40-point games.
Tatum rose through the ranks in his three years at Boston Celtics. He made it to the NBA All-Rookie first team in his first season. In his third season, he earned his first All-Star selection with a career graph that looks ready to grow higher.
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Brian Windhorst believes Boston Celtics will offer a max contract to Jayson Tatum
Talking on SportsCenter, Windhorst believed the Celtics were likely to offer Tatum a max contract.
“If Jayson Tatum is the superstar that they envisioned when they began this whole rebuilding process when they traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for all of those draft picks hoping to land a player like this, we could see ‘Glory Days’ for the Celtics again,” he said (H/T Bleacher Report).
“But it’s very much up in the air, and I’m gonna tell ya, they’re gonna have to pay him like it because after this season ends, he is going to get most likely a max contract. They’re going to bet that he becomes that player.”
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Tatum’s records also show why a max deal with the Celtics isn’ far away. The Duke’s graduate, who celebrated his 22nd birthday two months back, has been an influential figure for the Celtics. His 23.6 points per game this season is better than anybody on the Celtics roster. Also, Tatum has averaged the team’s second-best 7.1 rebounds per game.
Tatum is currently o a rookie deal with the Celtics. According to Spotrac, he is on a four-year $30,073,320 contract with a base salary of $7,830,000 for the ongoing season.