NOVEMBER 25: Tatum’s maximum-salary contract extension with Boston is now official, the Celtics have announced on their official site.
NOVEMBER 22: The Celtics have agreed to a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with forward Jayson Tatum, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The deal will go into effect for the 2021/22 season, once Tatum’s rookie contract expires. Ryan McDonough of Radio.com tweets that the deal includes a fifth-year player option for the 2025/26 season.
Tatum, 22, blossomed into an All-Star during his third season in Boston. He posted career-high averages of 23.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.9 BPG across 66 games for the Celtics during the regular season. Tatum also logged impressive shooting splits of .45/.403/.812.
Along with his fellow 2020 Boston All-Star, point guard Kemba Walker, and ascendant young forward Jaylen Brown, Tatum led the Celtics to their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance of his young tenure during the 2019/20 season.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN details (Twitter link), Tatum’s starting salary will be worth at least 25% of the 2021/22 salary cap. If he makes an All-NBA team again in 2021, his deal will start at 30% of next year’s cap. Based on a 3% cap increase, Tatum’s first-year salary will range from about $28.1MM to $33.7MM.
Marks notes in a separate tweet that, if Tatum and/or his fellow recently-extended young All-Star Donovan Mitchell, qualifies for the full 30% extension by making any of the three All-NBA teams next season, either player would earn the biggest rookie extension in NBA history. Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons holds the current record at $177.2MM.
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox could also earn the 30% max on his new deal, though he’ll have to earn All-NBA First Team honors to do so, per the terms of his own extension. Among this year’s players eligible for rookie contract extensions, Tatum, Mitchell and Fox are the only three who have agreed to terms so far.
With Brown’s own extension (for $103MM in guaranteed money plus an additional $12MM in possible incentives) locked in through the 2023/24 season, getting off the contract of oft-injured veteran forward Gordon Hayward a year early has helped streamline Boston’s books for the immediate future, while securing their young core. Hayward opted out of the final year of his deal with Boston to sign a four-year, $120MM contract with the Hornets yesterday.
In terms of the team’s immediate roster-building, Boston will be able avoid the luxury tax this season thanks to Hayward’s departure. The club can still upgrade its roster using its $3.6MM biannual exception, along with trade exceptions acquired through the moves of Vincent Poirier and Enes Kanter.
Brown, Walker, and Tatum will all be under contract together for the next two seasons. Walker has a $37.7MM player option for 2022/23, his age-33 season. Defensive stalwart Marcus Smart has the team’s next-biggest contract, and is owed $27.8MM through the 2021/22 season.
Yesterday, the Celtics added center Tristan Thompson, signed into the club’s full mid-level exception. He will earn $19MM through 2021/22. Boston also fully guaranteed the contracts of incumbent starting center Daniel Theis and reserve forward Semi Ojeleye. Theis may be in line for a raise when he enters unrestricted free agency in 2021.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
That’s a predictable move.
Is brown locked up too?
I think they did that last year.
Think kemba, tatum and brown will all increase usage and all statistical categories with hayward gone. Have a nice 3 headed monster and now adding thompson definitely a sold roster.
Solid*
4 years starts this year
Yes Brown signed a 4 year contract last year
Team is looking good..they should resign Baynes and sign a guard like Rivers
No money to sign them not even 1 of them
I don’t think he knows they just got Thompson and Teague.
I don’t think you read the part of that says the Cs have the bi-annual exemption available…
I don’t think you get how incredibly redundant Baynes would be after they signed Thompson or that Rivers is already on another team.
Tatum is just 22…what we saw last year is his floor.
Oddly I can see Celtics being better off without Gordon.
Brown especially could breakout into league star status.
I think the main debate is still whether they should’ve taken Myles Turner for 4 years or Thompson for 2.
Signing Thompson to shorter term I think was the smart choice.
We also don’t know the fine details of how serious Hayward was about going to Indy compared to him using them to leverage his deal with Chatlotte
I think they will be better because Stevens won’t be able to push his guy Hayward should’ve been nothing more then the 6th man when he returned to the team but he was Brads guy so we all know how that goes
Heyward averaged over 17 pts, almost 7 Reb and 4 assists on 9 shots and 33 minutes a game… That to go along with 50% fg and 38% from three
… Not bad for a 4th option… I’d say that’s a bit better than a “6th man”…
jkoms You’re NOT wrong dude. Clearly bronny bron injured Gordon 3 years ago concerning that broken ankle, but what’s the point of a player making 30/season IF the guy keeps hurting himself (playoffs ankle injury) and dealing with freak injury issues, i.e. breaking a finger in Aldridges jersey earlier this past season in San Antonio? Waste of resources/allocation of money, better used elsewhere IMO.
So Tatum is going to score at least 23.5 PPG every year from now on? Possible, but not a certainty. Sure he’s a good player, but if he had to play in the Western conference we would look as good? I doubt it.
* would he look as good
Yeah… he would…. Best player selected in that draft and it’s not even close. Good try though. LMAO.
Tatum is not as good as harden and westbrook though, HA HA. Good chemistry….
Celtics will need to manage payroll and cap next 2 seasons
Spoiler alert lol
Tatum and Brown will go down as the best two picks from those drafts, just watch. It will be debated as there are other solid players, but it will be obvious when everything is said and done career wise. Great job by the FO/Ainge & Co. to lock them both in long term in Boston. Expect them to be lifers. Important to keep adding pieces and a long run will be in store for the Celtics atop the NBA best, as it should be considering the GOATs of the league begin and end in Boston. #JustFacts
Fanboy alert!!!