Jayson Tatum starts looking for his own way out of Boston
What could be the worst nightmare for Boston Celtics fans is the season going up in smoke and the face of the franchise demands a trade. With the Celtics continuing to fail to win it all, there is just more and more criticism heading the way of Tatum year after year. After a far-below-subpar Finals performance in 2022 and a flameout in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, there may be too much pressure for him to live up to expectations.
This may be the season where he decides that enough is enough and that it’s time he goes somewhere else where he feels he can win his first NBA Championship.
The man who has been given the keys to the Celtics franchise could give up wanting to share the spotlight with another similarly aged and skilled superstar. He may want to join the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers to honor Kobe Bryant and take over Lebron’s legacy, the Miami Heat and their winning culture with Pat Riley running the show, and/or the Phoenix Suns to be teamed up with his long-time friend Bradley Beal in a move that could involve Kevin Durant finally joining the Celtics.
Obviously, the Cs can hope that if he does demand a trade, it comes after he signs a Supermax deal where they can get a competitive package for him; since the potential trade partner can have him locked in. From there, the Celtics can find themselves in a position where they build around Brown and Porzingis if Tatum decides to leave the franchise.
If this season does not produce the results the Boston Celtics are expecting, which is unquestionably only an NBA Championship, the team’s future could be compromised. Boston needs to hope that this is the season they finally break through – because if not, the next chapter of the Celtics will have too many unknowns and potentially many more disappointments.