Celtics Rumors: Jayson Tatum Must Wait for 2021 to Sign Max Contract Amid Buzz

While it's a no-brainer that Boston will want to ink forward Jayson Tatum to a long-term deal, how much will it take? 

The Celtics star is reportedly "leaning towards" signing a max contract extension when he becomes eligible, according to NBC Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely.

"Tatum's got to make some decisions," Blakely said on the Celtics Talk podcast. "Do I sign for your four- or five-year extension? Or do I play it out and just become a restricted free agent and hope that the cap goes up afterwards so then I can sign a max still for more money? From what I'm being told, Jayson at this point is leaning towards signing [a] max deal when he's eligible and going from there."

Per Spotrac, Tatum is currently in the third year of a four-year, $30 million rookie contract. Brian Windhorst reported on SportsCenter in May that the Celtics are likely to offer him a contract extension after this season ends in mid-October.

"Locking him up to a max deal, that's gotta be the easiest decision Danny [Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations] has had to make, like ever," an Eastern Conference general manager told NBC Sports Boston. "The talent, his age, the success he's already had both for himself and for the team, the relationship he has with Jaylen (Brown) who we all know Danny loves … unless there's some issue that none of us know about, which I don't think there is, there's just no scenario I can think of that'll keep them from putting a max offer on the table for Jayson."

Would it make sense for the rising star to cash out now and take a deal in 2020? Lock down secured money and keep playing his game?

Maybe not. For one, it's still unclear how badly the league's revenue has been affected by the 2019-20 season pause and the lack of fans at games moving forward, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The future of the upcoming season remains unknown as well, with an uncertainty surrounding when fans will be allowed back at live events. 

With the financial impact of the coronavirus uncertain and a stacked 2021 free-agency class, teams—like the Celtics—may be budgeting and saving their money this offseason. 

Additionally, while Tatum was having his best season before sports stopped in mid-March, there's no guarantee he'll return to that same caliber of play after a four-month break.

The Duke product was averaging 23.6 points per game, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 44.8 percent shooting this season. He also boasted almost 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Many young players, including Tatum, are "concerned" about getting injured in the return to play on July 30, which would be after the end date for these players' league-sponsored insurance policies that protect them from injuries, according to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett. So, Tatum could play it safe and not over-exert himself to make sure he's healthy for the 2020-21 season.

While there have been concerns surrounding how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect salary cap, The Athletic's John Hollinger and David Aldridge detailed why teams aren't worried, as the cap will be "smoothed" out:

"The expectation is that the NBA will set the cap at roughly the same level as this year⁠—$109 million, with a tax line of $123 million⁠—and separate it from Basketball Related Income, the mechanism by which the split of money between players and teams is achieved, like the league did coming out of the 2011 lockout, and make up any potential difference that arises by increasing the escrow withholding from players."

So there most likely won't be a "shock-to-the-system cap spike," or any severe drops in the following years.

If Tatum rides out the final year of his contract, he'll be entering free agency at a time when teams have a better idea of the financial impact of the pandemic and how much money they can spend.

The Celtics, specifically, may have a better chance at securing him for the foreseeable future with other teams going after bigger names, such as LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. And, as a result, Tatum could get a much bigger payday out of them.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference.