Following his contribution to the Boston Celtics‘ 16-year NBA title drought, Jayson Tatum was granted a $314 million, five-year contract deal. The forward’s new contract, which surpasses teammate Jaylen Brown’s five-year, $304 million deal signed last summer, is the largest in league history. Stephen A. Smith declared that the Celtics’ decision to sign Tatum was obvious and congratulated him on landing the contract.
The seasoned expert went on to say that Tatum’s new deal fairly represents his worth to the team. The Celtics were forced to give the five-time All-Star a max contract given his stellar play this season. Smith clarified that he was certain to get the unprecedented extension. He declared,
“Jaylen Brown got $304 million. The only way that Jayson Tatum wasn’t going to get his bag and more than Jaylen Brown is if he had gotten hurt and suffered some catastrophic injury. That was about it. Even with Jaylen Brown and his money, Jayson Tatum was the #1 option.”
Jayson Tatum wasn’t the only player to get an extension
Tatum was more valuable to the Celtics than teammate Brown, according to Smith, even though Brown won MVP honors in both the NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals. The franchise, however, regards both players equally. The keys to the castle for the foreseeable future and a maximum deal were given to each of them.
Following the team’s championship victory, Tatum wasn’t the only Celtics player to receive a significant contract extension. In order to stave off possible suitors, the organization rewarded Derrick White with a new four-year, $126 million contract. The Celtics have almost locked down their championship-winning rotation for a number of years with White and Tatum’s new contracts.
The team thinks that its present group of players can make sure that their championship triumph was a one-time event and raise additional banners in the years to come.
The Celtics dominated the rest of the league throughout the regular season. They outperformed the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won 57 games, by winning 61 games. With a 16-3 postseason record, they easily won the championship.
While some have argued that their opponents’ injury woes were their fault, it’s important to remember that Kristaps Porzingis had only appeared in three of the team’s previous fifteen playoff games. Next season, the Celtics are expected to be the team to beat. They are the current champions and have mostly kept the core of the team that won the tournament.
