Jayson Tatum is well on his way to becoming a bona fide star in the NBA, and him getting a max deal from the Boston Celtics all but certainly is a "when" not "if" scenario.
With his third NBA season in the books, Tatum this offseason now is eligible for a max deal which, according to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, could reach a value of $158 million over five years.
In theory, the Celtics could wait until the conclusion of next season to give Tatum an offer, especially since the extension wouldn't kick in until the 2021-22 campaign anyways. But, for the purpose of just getting it done, it would make sense for the Celtics and Tatum to meet now and get the situation hashed out.
Asked about Tatum's contract Thursday in his end-of-year press conference, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was somewhat mum.
"Jayson knows how much we like him," Ainge said, via WEEI.com. "We have a good relationship. Jason likes it here. So I'm confident that we'll be able to work something out this offseason."
For what it's worth, Tatum said Sunday he hadn't even thought about his contract at that point.
Ainge pointed out that teams aren't allowed to have contract negotiations right now, so that obviously impedes the C's from doing business.
But certainly, taking care of Tatum will be a high priority for Ainge and Co. this offseason.
