Celtics extend Jayson Tatum with largest deal in NBA history, reports say

The Boston Celtics rewarded Jaylen Brown with a record-setting $300 million supermax extension last summer. This year, it’s Jayson Tatum’s turn to get paid.

Tatum inked a five-year, $315 million supermax extension with Boston on Monday, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, just one week after helping the C’s win their league-leading 18th NBA championship. The deal includes a player option.

The 26-year-old superstar completed the third year of the five-year, $163 million extension he signed with the Celtics in 2020, which included a $37 million player option for the final season.

Tatum’s massive deal tops Brown’s as the richest contract in NBA history. He was eligible for the supermax extension because he was named to an All-NBA team for the 2023-24 season.

The Celtics locking up their five-time All-Star long-term comes as no surprise, especially after bringing home Banner 18. Tatum and Brown are the foundation of the dynasty Boston hopes to build over the next several years.

The C’s drafted Tatum out of Duke with the third overall pick in 2017, one year after taking Brown with the No. 3 selection. Since then, Tatum has appeared in five Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals, finally earning his first title earlier this month.

Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor over 74 games this past season. He notched 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game during the playoffs.

Tatum and Brown will cost the Celtics a pretty penny over the next few years, but it’s the price that must be paid for two of the game’s biggest stars. With Derrick White also locked up on a new deal, Boston is ready to run it back with mostly the same group for 2025 and beyond.