During an interview with NBA reporter Jeff Goodman of The Messenger, Jayson Tatum said he loves playing for the Boston Celtics and that it would be “hard” to leave.
“You never know what can happen, but I love playing for the Celtics,” Tatum said. “I figured out my space in the city and have grown to really enjoy it. I love the fans. It would be really hard to leave this place.”
Tatum could be eligible for a $338 million extension next summer, according to NBA insider Bobby Marks of ESPN. Jaylen Brown signed a five-year, $304 million supermax extension with the Celtics this offseason.
Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA. He averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season in 74 games while shooting 46.6% from the field, 35.0% from beyond the arc and 85.4% from the free-throw line.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Updates
The 25-year-old Tatum has made four All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams with the Celtics. The Duke product has career averages of 22.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 439 games with Boston.
The Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals in seven games. Boston has made the playoffs every year since drafting Tatum with the third overall pick in the 2017 draft. The Celtics reached the 2022 NBA Finals but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
An anonymous member of the Celtics told Keith Smith of Spotrac that the franchise traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks and acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards this summer to “become a different kind of team.”
“We’re going to miss Marcus,” the anonymous member of the Celtics said. “We’re going to miss Grant. But we had to become a different kind of team. Getting KP is huge for us. Literally and figuratively. He’s going to make a massive difference for our offense. And he’s come a long way with his defense too.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Updates
A Big 3 of Porzingis, Brown and Tatum looks good on paper, but games are won between the lines. There should be more driving lanes for Tatum and Brown next season since Porzingis can space the floor with his shooting, though. When Porzingis goes beyond the 3-point line, he will bring his defender with him, which will create more room in the paint for Tatum and Brown.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
