I'll just echo that Boston should (and will) pay Tatum the max that he is eligible under the current CBA. There really isn't much to debate about it. That will be the price and it is a no-brainer.
I'll also add that wow, Jaylen Brown's contract is looking like a home run right now.
Ikr, I was one of the few posters who said that the deal was an absolute steal when he signed it and it's looking good right now
I am a humongous Jaylen fan, but I do think this is a bit overstated. Keeping the figures the same as say Jamal Murray (same draft class) who just signed a 5-yr max, it comes out to about $122M over the first 4 years of the contract. Jaylen's contract is for 4 years / $107M with All-NBA incentives able to push that to $115M.
While we did save $3-4M/yr over him signing a max, we also took a chance on a player who was averaging 13ppg w/ limited playmaking and rebounding at the time. Obviously the deal has proven to be fruitful, but it wasn't like this huge score. I get it, that 5th year player option is huge for Murray should a major injury occur, but it worked out for both sides as far as I'm concerned. Both players will likely be seeking a true max (or supermax) in 2024 - making that last year for Murray irrelevant.
You have to include All-NBA incentives to even get the total close.
But the important difference isn't about the 4-year total. The important difference is that Jaylen's contract will impose a cap / tax hit of about 4M less each year than Murray. That's of huge benefit to Danny and the team for roster building. Add in the fact that Jaylen, unlike Murray, is a complete two-way player and that further strengthens Danny & Brad's hands when it comes to the roster.
Jaylen just gave us a deep playoff performance averaging 22/7.5/2.5/1.5, as the most efficient scorer among our starters & top rotation players, with absolutely elite defense. And he will be on a discount for the next few years.
Murray averaged a few more points and assists but fewer rebounds and gives you almost nothing on the defensive end.
Jaylen's contract is a home run.