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Former Duke basketball star lined up for max contract in offseason

By Kevin Connelly

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 18: Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum, now of the Boston Celtics, looks on during the national anthem before a game against the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden on January 18, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 18: Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum, now of the Boston Celtics, looks on during the national anthem before a game against the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden on January 18, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum looks perfectly lined up for a max contract this offseason with the Boston Celtics.

One of the NBA’s youngest and brightest stars is set for a mega payday this offseason as the Boston Celtics are looking to keep Jayson Tatum around for the long haul.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Boston will “most likely” offer the former Duke star a max contract this offseason, whenever that may be.

The 2019-20 NBA season has been temporarily put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, although there have been discussions to restart the league at the end of July. No timeline has been set for the upcoming offseason nor the start of the 2020-21 league year.

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Jayson Tatum was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft after the Celtics traded back from the No. 1 overall slot to select the Duke forward.

Boston had its sights set on the 6-foot-8 St. Louis native from the very start of the draft process but knew the Philadelphia 76ers, the team the Celtics traded with, and the Los Angeles Lakers, the team with the No. 2 overall pick that year, were not interested in selecting Tatum.

Philadelphia traded up to take Markelle Fultz while the Lakers drafted Lonzo Ball, neither of which are still on those respective teams.

At just 21 years old, Jayson Tatum was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game. Prior to the suspension of the NBA, he was averaging 23.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, all of which are career highs for the former Blue Devil.

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In his first season in the league at 19 years old, Tatum was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and led the Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward-less Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Celtics ultimately fell to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum signed a four-year, $30.1 million contract when he was drafted, and earlier this season, he told Maverick Carter on an episode of Uninterrupted that he puts all the money he received from the Celtics in a savings account and lives off of the money he makes from endorsements.

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The reasoning behind this for Tatum is due to the fact that the future is unknown, and at any moment his NBA career could be over because of an injury or some other unforeseen circumstance.

Boston exercised its team option in 2019 and 2020 for Jayson Tatum, and the All-Star could become a restricted free agent in 2021 with a $12.9 million qualifying offer.

The Celtics and Jaylen Brown agreed on a four-year deal worth $115 million prior to the start of this season, but Tatum’s max contract could be lower than that value because of the projected lower salary cap in the NBA in 2020-21 as a result of the complications from the coronavirus.

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Numerical values of max contracts are based on 25 percent of the NBA’s Salary Cap, and players have the ability to increase that contract value with incentives, such as being selected to an All-NBA team or winning the Most Valuable Player Award.

Regardless, Jayson Tatum will be in line for a huge, and deserving, payday as the Boston Celtics look to continue their run as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

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