The largest deal in NBA history is inbound.
On Monday, the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum closed in on a five-year $314 million supermax extension with a player option, according to multiple reports.
The deal surpasses that of teammate Jaylen Brown, who inked a five-year, $304 million deal before last season.
Tatum’s supermax eligibility was derived from Tatum being named to an All-NBA team for the 2023-24 season, and the contract will take him through the 2029-30 season.
The 26-year-old made All-NBA first team last season — the second straight year he’s done so – making eligible to make up to 35 percent of the salary cap, beginning in the 2025-26 campaign.
Tatum and Brown paired up to bring Boston its 18th championship this season, and has the Celtics’s centerpieces in place for even more title runs.
The helped Boston blaze to a 64-18 record in 2023-24 as almost wire-to-wire favorite to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft, made the most of the playoff run, averaging 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists over 19 games.
The Celtics also threw Derrick White a maximum four-year, $125.9 million extension – which nearly doubled his average annual salary.
Amid the franchise hammering in on its success, one person is seemingly ready to take a step back – Wyc Grousbeck.
He spearheaded the investment group that bought the Celtics for $360 million in 2002 and is looking to sell the majority interest of the team by 2024-25.
By 2028, the balance of shares would close.
Grousbeck is moving on from a franchise that has been estimated to be worth $4.7 billion in 2023, per Forbes.
