On the morning of July 2, Beijing time, the Celtics officially announced: the team renewed Tatum's five-year $315 million contract ahead of schedule, and at the same time, Derrick White signed a four-year $125.9 million contract in advance. Congratulations to Tatum, who signed the NBA's biggest contract (surpassing teammate Jaylen Brown's 5-year, $304 million), and the highest salary in history was born!
Contract Details: $54126450 for 2025-26 season; $58456566 for the 2026-27 season; 2027-28 season. 62786682 USD; $67116798 for the 2028-29 season; 2029-30 season, $71446914 (player option) Tatum became the NBA's first Mr. 70 million annual salary!
Tatum had two years left on his original contract, $34.85 million for the 2024-25 season, and a $37.1 million player option for the 2025-26 season. After signing a new contract, the player option for the 2025-26 season was replaced, and the salary became $54.13 million, with a direct salary increase of $17 million. Who can not be envious, who can not be jealous?
Stevens, the Celtics president of basketball operations, said, "Tatum mainly defends Mobley Jr. when he plays the Cavaliers, and he defends Turner when he plays the Pacers, so we can switch defenses indefinitely. Tatum is the defensive gatekeeper, he's getting stronger, he's smart, he's good at communicating with his teammates. The duo will not part ways, and we will continue to win. ”
Tatum was born on March 3, 1998, and when his contract expires in 2030, he will be able to sign another long-term contract at the age of 32. In this year's Finals, Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1 steal and 0.6 blocks per game, with three shooting percentages: 39%, 26%, and 92.6%. Finals MVP voting, Tatum lost to Brown 4-7.
Tatum averaged 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, 30.6% from three-point range and 78.6% from the free throw line. The MVP vote for the Eastern Conference finals, he lost 4-5 to Brown. With an average of 30+10+5 per game in the division finals, Tatum became the third person in NBA history, after Olajuwon and James.
In this year's playoffs, Tatum averaged 25 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, shooting 42.7%, 28.3% and 86.1% from three. With a total plus/minus of +147 in the playoffs, Tatum is first in the league and Holiday is second in the league at +143. However, Tatum's jump shooting rate in this year's playoffs is only 29.8%, which is indeed iron.
In the 2023-24 season, Tatum played in 74 regular season games, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1 steal and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 47.1%, 37.6%, and 83.3% from three. Tatum has been named to the All-NBA team for three consecutive years, while Jaylen Brown missed three teams last season and has only been selected to the second team once in his career.
Let's take a look at the contracts for the Celtics' starting lineup: Tatum 315 million for 5 years, Brown 304 million for 5 years, Holiday 135 million for 4 years, White 126 million for 4 years, and Porzingis 60 million for 2 years! By the 2025-26 season, the combined annual salary of these five starters is $198 million. What an exaggeration!
Final question: What do you think of Tatum's super cap salary?