NBA front office insider Bobby Marks of ESPN reports that Jayson Tatum, a star player for the Boston Celtics, is ineligible to sign a $315 million, five-year contract extension this summer.
The NBA has never seen a larger extension.
In November 2020, Tatum agreed to a $163 million, five-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics. All indications are that Boston will sign the Duke product to a new contract this offseason.
In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected Tatum with the third overall choice. Tatum, who averages 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, has been selected to five All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams while playing for Boston.
In the Tatum era, the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times and the NBA Finals once. Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals in six games.
The Celtics look like the championship favorites this season. They have the best record in the NBA.
Tatum, 26, is shooting 47.4% from the field, 38.2% from beyond the arc, and 83.0% from the free-throw line this season while averaging 27.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
It will be interesting to watch how far the Celtics advance in the 2024 postseason. It will undoubtedly be a huge letdown for Tatum and company if Boston doesn’t win it all.
LeBron James, the superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers, praised Tatum extensively on the debut edition of his podcast, “Mind the Game,” which he co-hosted with former NBA shooting guard JJ Redick.
LeBron emphasized Tatum’s achievements since joining the NBA in 2017.
Regarding Tatum, LeBron stated, “He’s 25 years old and I believe he’s been to the conference finals four times.” “I’ve attended one NBA Finals. He is 25 years old. I had to wait until I was 28 to win my first one. Joker (Nikola Jokic) may have won his first one when he was 27. Michael Jordan, I believe, was also 28 years old.
“I believe we have high expectations for JT, but he has had a great deal of success thus far in his career. Of course, everyone wants to see him get over his rough patch, but to make it to four conference finals and the Finals before turning 26 is beyond exceptional.
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