Please explain Tatum's contract options

[tenn_smoothie]

ESPN had a rundown today of all 30 teams and their future player options - contracts, free agents, roster makeup, salary caps, etc.
They said this regarding Jayson Tatum's pending contract/free agency:

"The rookie extension of Jayson Tatum: Waiting until 2021 free agency shouldn't matter, because Tatum is projected for a max and the Celtics won't have cap space"

Does this mean the Celts won't have space to sign Tatum to the max and remain under the cap ? I can't imagine it means they cannot sign him to a max at all, given that he is our player and the league allows you to keep your own players regardless of salary cap. Can we sign him and simply be penalized by going into the luxury tax ?  Seems to me a bad idea by the league to penalize teams who build their rosters the right way thru the draft and select trades as opposed to Lebron's method of teaming up with already developed superstars.

Also, has there been any indication that Tatum would like to go elsewhere. I know he talked about wishing that Phoenix would have drafted him out of college. Also saw some mention on this board about concern he would have interest in jumping on the Lakers bandwagon. I would lose a lot of respect for him if went that route.

Considering the Celtics targeted him in the draft when there were lots of questions about his ability to adapt to the NBA, I would think he would have some feelings of loyalty for the franchise that wanted him and then developed him to all-star status. Also, I would think any player would relish the opportunity to be the next Celtics superstar to lead them to more titles and end up with his number in the rafters and beloved by the (still) most successful franchise in NBA history.  Just not sure what is inside Tatum and whether he appreciates tradition or not. Does it mean anything to him to be a Boston Celtic ?

[gouki88]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

[tenn_smoothie]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

[footey]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

[SparzWizard]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

I just hope his love and admiration for Kobe don't influence his decision to go join up with AD3 and LeBron in Lakerland. It's one thing to look up to your model and another thing to jump ship out for your model.

[tenn_smoothie]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

Sounds great - hopefully true. And I loved JoJo - that 70's group has always been my favorite Celtic team.

[gouki88]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

I just hope his love and admiration for Kobe don't influence his decision to go join up with AD3 and LeBron in Lakerland. It's one thing to look up to your model and another thing to jump ship out for your model.

Why do you hyperfocus on the absolute worst case scenarios so much? Brown idolised T-Mac - is he going to join Orlando?? No, and that likely never crossed your mind, because they're not the Lakers

[ozgod]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

During the AD trade commotion in Jan 2019 he mentioned that while he would probably trade himself for AD, he wanted to retire a Celtic.

That said, I don't put much credence in what players say about how proud they feel about playing for franchise x. We put a lot of credence in that because we're fans, and we like hearing that from players. And many players have said those very things and then have decided to move elsewhere for a variety of reasons. Some even made commercials about staying here forever and then moved 

Also, franchises have often made statements about how much they value player x, he's the future of the franchise, etc and then traded them out when a better option came along. Then you have to factor in the other influencers in the player's life - parents, agent, friends etc. Words are just words...end of day we have to make sure that players see that it's to their benefit to stay here, both financially and for their future career development and prospects, and we have to offer the appropriate packages that reflect that value. I'm sure when the time comes, and with their actions heading up to that time, Ainge and Stevens will be constantly making sure Jayson feels appreciated, that they see him as a team cornerstone to build around for years to come, and that he will have a competitive team around him so that knows he has an opportunity to create a legacy here for his entire career. Much like Kobe did for the Lakers.

[CelticsElite]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

I just hope his love and admiration for Kobe don't influence his decision to go join up with AD3 and LeBron in Lakerland. It's one thing to look up to your model and another thing to jump ship out for your model.

Why do you hyperfocus on the absolute worst case scenarios so much? Brown idolised T-Mac - is he going to join Orlando?? No, and that likely never crossed your mind, because they're not the Lakers

true. But just to play skeptic - tatum did hire Kobe to train him during the summer.

[gouki88]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

I just hope his love and admiration for Kobe don't influence his decision to go join up with AD3 and LeBron in Lakerland. It's one thing to look up to your model and another thing to jump ship out for your model.

Why do you hyperfocus on the absolute worst case scenarios so much? Brown idolised T-Mac - is he going to join Orlando?? No, and that likely never crossed your mind, because they're not the Lakers

true. But just to play skeptic - tatum did hire Kobe to train him during the summer.

Just like Jaylen did with T-Mac, and like hundreds of other NBA players have done. Non story

[RockinRyA]

We'll be able to sign him to a max because he's our rookie, so we can basically offer him whatever.

However, with Brown, Kemba and Smart to a lesser extent we have lots of money on the books, as well as Hayward. We'll be nearing luxury tax territory for sure.

But rest assured, we can't lose control of Tatum. Even for guys that did want to leave their teams like AD, it took him 7 seasons. There's also no credible rumour to JT wanting to go - it's just mad Lakers fans who are sad that Kuzma sucks and Tatum looks like Kobe 2.0

Thanks Gouk.

Is there any credible info that Tatum realizes he is very fortunate to be playing for such a well-run organization that also boasts the proudest tradition in the league and has put him position to be a future superstar ? Has he expressed any gratitude and/or happiness about ending up in Boston ?

Okay, this is going to sound weird, but this is what I have heard:

My best friend is frat brother with Tatum’s uncle. Somehow he knew the late Jo Jo White (who is from St Louis like Tatum) and asked Jo Jo about the Celtics Organization when Tatum was drafted. Jo Jo spoke of the Celtics Org in the highest terms, and that really meant a lot to Tatum and his family. The uncle recently told my buddy that Tatum absolutely LOVES the Celtics and wants to play his entire career with them. LOVES ‘em.

So relax. He ain’t going anywhere.

I just hope his love and admiration for Kobe don't influence his decision to go join up with AD3 and LeBron in Lakerland. It's one thing to look up to your model and another thing to jump ship out for your model.

Why do you hyperfocus on the absolute worst case scenarios so much? Brown idolised T-Mac - is he going to join Orlando?? No, and that likely never crossed your mind, because they're not the Lakers

true. But just to play skeptic - tatum did hire Kobe to train him during the summer.

Brown also got trained by TMac

[BitterJim]

ESPN had a rundown today of all 30 teams and their future player options - contracts, free agents, roster makeup, salary caps, etc.
They said this regarding Jayson Tatum's pending contract/free agency:

"The rookie extension of Jayson Tatum: Waiting until 2021 free agency shouldn't matter, because Tatum is projected for a max and the Celtics won't have cap space"

Does this mean the Celts won't have space to sign Tatum to the max and remain under the cap ? I can't imagine it means they cannot sign him to a max at all, given that he is our player and the league allows you to keep your own players regardless of salary cap. Can we sign him and simply be penalized by going into the luxury tax ?  Seems to me a bad idea by the league to penalize teams who build their rosters the right way thru the draft and select trades as opposed to Lebron's method of teaming up with already developed superstars.

Also, has there been any indication that Tatum would like to go elsewhere. I know he talked about wishing that Phoenix would have drafted him out of college. Also saw some mention on this board about concern he would have interest in jumping on the Lakers bandwagon. I would lose a lot of respect for him if went that route.

Considering the Celtics targeted him in the draft when there were lots of questions about his ability to adapt to the NBA, I would think he would have some feelings of loyalty for the franchise that wanted him and then developed him to all-star status. Also, I would think any player would relish the opportunity to be the next Celtics superstar to lead them to more titles and end up with his number in the rafters and beloved by the (still) most successful franchise in NBA history.  Just not sure what is inside Tatum and whether he appreciates tradition or not. Does it mean anything to him to be a Boston Celtic ?

The part about waiting not mattering because we won't have cap space is just saying that we aren't gonna try to sign someone else with cap space and then use Tatum's Bird rights (if we did have cap space, we would be able to sign someone to a higher salary by doing things in that order). It won't matter, though, so we'll extend him this summer (or, fall, I guess. This year is weird).

There are only a few plausible options with Tatum:
1. We sign him to an extension this fall (for the max)
2. We extend him a max qualifying offer next summer, and he signs that (which would be 5 fully-guaranteed years at the max with the highest allowable raises)
3. We extend the max QO to him next summer, and he then signs an offer sheet with another team (which we have to be 3 years minimum, and we would match it immediately. This seems like the least likely option)
4. We extend the max QO to him next summer, and then negotiate a slightly different contract (5 years at the max with max allowable raises, but some sort of player option built in is the only possibility I could see)

People overstate the Lakers stuff, Paul Pierce was a huge Lakers fan growing up but playing for Boston cured that. I also don't think Kobe would have been impressed by someone jumping ship just to play in the shadow of his legacy when they could have made their own elsewhere.

[jambr380]

Hey BJ, you forgot the nightmare scenario of Tatum not signing with anybody next summer and instead playing out his last year on his QO; therefore giving him the option to go wherever he pleases in 2022. Hey, at least we get him for 2 more years 

[pearljammer10]

Tatum isn't going anywhere and he will be paid like a star. (Which is deserved).

[Ilikesports17]

No player has ever turned down a full max on their rookie deal.

It’s literally unprecedented.