The Boston Celtics did what everyone expected and gave Jayson Tatum a five-year maximum extension worth $195 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
According to Wojnarowski, Tatum is getting the full designated rookie max extension. Tatum increased the amount of money he was eligible for in this extension by making an All-NBA team last season. Rookie extensions can generally be up to 25 percent of the cap, but Tatum became eligible for 30 percent under the “Rose Rule.”
Tatum’s deal was a foregone conclusion after his All-Star, All-NBA season. Barring a trade, this will pair him with Jaylen Brown for at least the next four seasons. Brown agreed to a four-year, $115 million extension which begins this season.
“Jayson knows how much we like him. We have a good relationship,” Danny Ainge said after the season ended. “Jayson likes it here, so I’m confident that we’ll be able to work something out.”
Tatum, who only turns 23 in March, became Boston’s scoring leader in his third season, averaging 23.4 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting on 3-pointers. What makes Tatum a cornerstone, though is his ability to do other things, like defend and rebound. His 7 rebounds per game were just behind Enes Kanter for second on the team. He also finished the year averaging three assists per game, an area where he is beginning to improve. He notched a career-high 11 assists in the final game of the playoffs.
“I think Jayson is so mature for his age, so emotionally strong,” Brad Stevens said of his star forward during the playoffs. “I think he puts in a great deal of time, puts in a great deal of work, and I would say that he’s just very consistent. And even in games where he doesn’t make shots, per se, he does a lot of little things that help you win, so he’s always prepared to do all that it takes to win, and that’s a credit to him.”
By John Karalis, masslive.com