Recently minted NBA champion Jayson Tatum is gearing up to sign the largest contract in NBA history. Read that again. The Boston Celtics have reportedly agreed to a five-year maximum contract extension worth $314 million.
Essentially, Tatum secured every possible benefit a star player can receive in such a deal. It was all earned if you think about it. The five-time All-Star led the Celtics to their 18th championship last season.
Get this, the extension will keep him with the Celtics through the 2029-30 season. If Tatum exercises his player option, he could earn $71.4 million in that final year, making him the first player in NBA history to surpass $70 million in a single season. Wild.
What’s crazier the deal is close to home as Tatum’s new contract surpasses the previous record held by his teammate, Jaylen Brown, who signed a five-year, $304 million extension last summer. Unreal. However, the record may not last long, as Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks will be eligible for a projected five-year, $346 million extension next year. The trend of increasing salaries highlights a lucrative era for perennial All-Stars in the NBA. Don’t hate the player or the game, the new TV deal with the NBA is serious.
Let’s talk stats. In the 2023-24 season, Tatum averaged 26.9 points (on 60.4% true shooting), 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 35.7 minutes per game. He led the team with a 29.6% usage rate, his lowest since the 2019-20 season, due to Boston’s abundance of playmaking options.
As a team, the Celtics scored an impressive 121.7 points per 100 possessions and outscored opponents by 11.2 points per 100 possessions with Tatum on the court. He had the best passing season of his career, finished sixth in MVP voting, and made the All-NBA First Team.
So in other words, the kid is a stud who worked for that payday.
He’s not the only won winning this week. Prior to Tatum’s deal, the Celtics also extended Derrick White’s contract by four years, worth $125.9 million.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Celtics’ payroll is projected to exceed $200 million in 2025-26, excluding the substantial luxury-tax bill that ownership will face.
Depending on the moves by the Phoenix Suns, Boston could become the most expensive team in NBA history. So wait, the Suns payroll is higher? The take out the broom Suns? Hilarious.
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