The Celtics officially announce their agreement with Jayson Tatum on a contract extension, according to a Saturday afternoon's press release.
While terms of the deal were not disclosed, per team policy -- Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report first broke the news earlier in the week that Tatum intended to reportedly sign a five-year, $315 million super-max extension.
"Jayson is a special person and player, and it’s been a thrill for all of us to watch his entire journey in Boston," said Brad Stevens via the team's press release. "He has embraced all that comes with being a great Celtic, and shows consistent and genuine care for every one of his teammates, coaches, and staff across the organization. Despite all the team accomplishments and individual awards, Jayson is committed to constantly improving. He works hard and is extremely driven by the challenges of the game -- especially the goal of competing with his teammates for championships. We are obviously ecstatic that Jayson chose to extend his contract and add to his amazing career as a Boston Celtic."
Tatum, who's coming off his second-straight All-NBA First Team selection and fourth overall, played 74 games with averages of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists (career-high), and 1.0 blocks per contest, while shooting 47.1% from the field, including 37.6% from 3-point range. His extension is now the richest contract in league history, surpassing teammate Jaylen Brown at $305 million, which was signed a year ago.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 Draft helped lead the Celtics to the 2024 NBA Championship with a 16-3 playoff record while averaging 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. Tatum became the sixth player in league history to win a title while leading his team in playoff points, rebounds and assists -- joining the likes of Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
In Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Tatum was the first player in franchise history to net 30-plus points (31) and dish out 10-plus assists (11) in a Finals game, on the way to the Celtics winning their record-setting 18th NBA title.
Tatum, 26, also surpassed his boyhood idol -- the late Kobe Bryant for the most playoff points in NBA history before turning the age of 27 years old and currently ranks as the sixth Celtic on the franchise's postseason scoring list with 2,711 points and counting.
The Celtics have been quite busy in the first few days of the off-season by inking not only Tatum and Derrick White to extensions, but also re-upping back-up centers Luke Kornet, Neeimas Queta and Xavier Tillman all to new deals this past week. It was also announced Wednesday that the team re-signed forward Drew Peterson to a two-way contract.
Joel Pavón
Tatum’s performance was pivotal in the Celtics’ deep playoff run. His ability to deliver in clutch moments and his consistent scoring made him a cornerstone for Boston, culminating in a well-deserved supermax extension
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