Jayson Tatum is going to get a max contract extension this offseason.
So is Donovan Mitchell in Utah. There are big paydays coming fall for Bam Adebayo in Miami, De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento, and Kyle Kuzma with the Lakers. Which is why the five of them spearheaded a negotiation with the NBA to set up some injury insurance for the restart in Orlando.
This led to a report the Celtics’ Tatum was “reluctant to return” and might sit out the restart. That is not the case, he’s playing reports A. Sherrod Blakely at NBC Sports Boston.Jayson Tatum is not considering sitting out the restart of the season due to contract concerns, according to two league sources familiar with the Celtics All-Star’s plans...
“Not true,” a source told NBC Sports Boston. “He’s concerned like every other player about returning to play. There’s a lot … going on in the world that players need to be more concerned about. But sitting out because of the contract? Hell no!”
Another league source indicated the concern over the coronavirus and the league’s plans on addressing it within the bubble-like atmosphere of Orlando, Fla. whose positive test results for the COVID-19 virus have been on the rise, were the bigger concerns for the 22-year-old.
Those latter two issues — Black Lives Matter/social justice issues, and the rise in coronavirus cases in Florida and the Orlando area — exist for a lot of players, as well as for the NBA.
Boston may be the team in the East best poised to knock off Milwaukee. With a balanced and switchable 1-4 or Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Tatum, plus Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter at the five, the Celtics are a dangerous offensive team that was top five in defense this season before the interruption. Tatum knows that and he will be back to play.
He’s just got concerns. Like a lot of players.