i think its very likely that Tatum knows more about where he and his body is rehab wise than any of us do, if he's having second thoughts maybe its as simple as he isn't sure that whatever he'll come back as will be a net positive for the current Celtics team. Or maybe he just believes that there's a higher chance of returning to 100% of what he once was if he comes back in October, there is some evidence that a longer rehab leads to better outcomes with this injury.

In either case I think he's proven how crazy he is about playing, if he doesn't feel 100% comfortable with it, I'd trust that decision.

https://x.com/iinangelo/status/2016633992846414206

I guess this is bound to happen.

The Chicago Bulls reportedly offered Nikola Vučević to the Celtics for Anfernee Simons and a first-round pick, but Boston declined, per Mike Scotto
 
For example, earlier this season, well before Boston surged into second place in the East, the Chicago Bulls inquired on the possibility of trading center Nikola Vucevic for Simons and a Celtics first-round pick, which would have lowered the Celtics tax bill, but the Celtics were not interested, league sources told HoopsHype.

While better packages are certainly out there with younger stars, Brown is still young enough and has made enough of a name for himself the past few seasons that I think he could work as a centerpiece. Remember, Milwaukee is a small market team that is just as interested at staying relevant/competitive and putting butts in the seat as they are doing a true tear down and rebuild for the future, especially given that they don't really have and/or control their picks for the next four years. So bottoming out doesn't necessarily make them better now.

Something built around Brown, Hugo, and 2-3 1st round picks/swaps would likely be able to get it done in the summer, and give them a replacement marketable star, a burgeoning two-way prospect, and draft capital with possible potential, though I'm not sure if he will last that long past the deadline. If we were confident in Giannis' health and Tatum coming back in February/March, I'd possibly be interested in a bigger deal at the deadline to fill multiple needs, something like:

Boston: Giannis, Turner, Trent Jr.

Milwaukee: Brown, Simons, Hugo, 2030 1st, 2031 1st Swap, 2032 1st

That'd leave us with the following lineup:

PG: PP, Trent Jr.
SG: White, Scheierman
SF: Tatum, Hauser, Walsh
PF: Giannis, Garza
C: Turner, Queta, Amari

Still not sure I would do that for several reasons. First, JB has earned some loyalty, and while this would give him his own team to serve as the primary star of, I'm not sure how thrilled he be about this. Second, I'm not sure about Giannis' injury history and how well he will age. Third, Tatum is best suited (especially post-injury) as a long-term 4, which is the same spot as Giannis. Can they coexist together well enough to make it work on both ends? It does bring some *enticing* small ball possibilities, but you'd ideally want to see how Tatum looks coming back first before making that kind of move.

This might be the first game of the season where we were never in it from the start, and probably our worst loss in terms of the margin. Maybe the Houston game? Every other game we've fought and been in the contest. That has to be the most disappointing aspect for Joe, that we were never in it. But a solid teaching moment at least.