Boston Celtics rumors: Jayson Tatum “likely” to be offered max contract this offseason

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Boston Celtics are “most likely” going to offer Jayson Tatum a max contract this offseason.

Well, there it is. As most expected, the Boston Celtics will offer Jayson Tatum a max contract this offseason. It was pretty much guaranteed that he would one day be a max contract caliber player, but hearing this news is surely pleasing for Celtics fans to hear.

Although Jaylen Brown wasn’t offered the max contract last offseason that Tatum will be presented with, the situations are very similar. The Celtics front office made it clear how high they were on Brown, offering him a four-year extension last offseason worth $115 million before Brown could become a restricted free agent.

Same thing with Tatum. Even though the Celtics would likely match any offer sheet that Tatum could agree to as an RFA, there is an added bonus to get these deals signed early. On top of the reasons specifically regarding cap situations, this will allow the rising superstar to enter next season with a clear mind. Tatum can just go to work and play basketball without having to worry about a free-agency period that awaits him in the 2021 offseason.

It worked out great for Brown this year as the 23-year old star had the best regular season of his career thus far. That is exactly what the front office is hoping can happen now with Tatum.

The jump we saw this season from Tatum was astronomical. Averaging 23 points a game on high efficiency with a much more polished defensive game, it is clear that the St. Louis product will be a star in this league for many years.

Tatum has talked a lot about how much he loves being a Celtic, how he wants to be the next Paul Pierce, and how he wants to be a Celtic for life. This is the first step to making all those goals of his come true.

The Boston Celtics have their franchise superstar, and it’s clear they are going to do whatever they can to keep him in green.