Jayson Tatum’s latest outing highlights biggest Boston Celtics concern
On Tuesday, Jayson Tatum was at the St. Louis Cardinals game throwing out the first pitch. Although Boston Celtics fans might question the importance, the key fact is that Tatum is from St. Louis.
Tatum being present at the Cardinals game highlights the number one fear the Cs have with Tatum.
Jayson Tatum threw out the first pitch in his hometown of St. Louis tonight pic.twitter.com/R78aAd2ZjR
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 1, 2023
That fear is if the city of St. Louis ever gets an NBA team and steals away Tatum.
Celts are cooked if STL gets an expansion team https://t.co/jVX5Sc5kr9
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) August 2, 2023
As Tatum gets prepared to receive the largest contract extension in NBA history from the Celtics next offseason, he appears to be ready to be a Celtic for life. If I had to bet right now, I would say that out of all of the young superstars in the NBA, Tatum has the highest chance of staying with his team for his whole career.
However, one thing that could change that is if St. Louis got an expansion team. Throughout his career, Tatum has shown love and admiration for the city publicly. As the NBA appears to be heading for expansion with talks of Las Vegas or a return to Seattle, St. Louis could be a real possibility. Now although it would be hard to imagine Tatum leaving the C’s for an expansion team, he could look to leave if the team fails to win.
The clock is ticking on the current Boston Celtics core
The Boston Celtics are currently in an important two-to-three-year window with their current core of Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. If that core fails to win a title and the Cs struggle to build the next core, Tatum could become unhappy and force his way out. By that time, if St. Louis becomes an expansion team, it would be ready to strike for Tatum’s services.
Ultimately, it will be interesting to see if St. Louis gets an expansion team, but if they do, Cs fans should hold their breath.