It was somewhat of a surprise that Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum did not earn the NBA Finals MVP award.
Tatum was brilliant as Boston ousted the Dallas Mavericks in five games. He averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per. Instead, the top individual award for the Finals went to teammate Jaylen Brown.
It really didn’t mean much to Tatum. He was all about helping Boston to what was a record 18th NBA title in absolutely dominating fashion.
Heading into the offseason, there is more of an important individual situation for Tatum to deal with. He’s eligible to receive a lucrative long-term contract extension after earning All-NBA honors in 2023-24.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Tatum will soon ink a five-year, $315 million contract extension with the Celtics. It would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history at $63 million per season. Right now, Brown is the highest-paid player in the game at $57.25 million.
Jayson Tatum stats (2023-24): 26.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.9 APG, 47% shooting, 38% 3-point
As you can see, Tatum is coming off a fantastic 2023-24 campaign that culminated in winning his first NBA title.
The forward just turned 26 years old back in March. He’s an obvious franchise cornerstone. It makes perfect sense for Boston to continue with the good vibes by handing him a much-deserved contract extension.
Though, it would create an expensive duo with Brown and Tatum set to earn a combined $120-plus million on an annual basis.