Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, which is why the New Orleans Pelicans strongly value him in Anthony Davis trade talks. The Celtics could not trade for Davis at the deadline due to the “Rose rule” concerning Kyrie Irving, meaning Boston has to wait until the summer to make such a move.
The Pelicans knew this, which is why they rebuffed a godfather proposal from the Los Angeles Lakers, as New Orleans seems to prefer Tatum to any asset the Lakers have.
Of course, any trade discussions between the C's and the Pels for Davis would have to start and end with Tatum, a 20-year-old phenom who took the world by storm in last year's playoffs when he posterized LeBron James in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The question is, should the Celtics trade Tatum? You can easily make cases for both sides, but for now, let's focus on three seasons why Boston should hold on its young stud:
3. Salary
Tatum is only in his second season, meaning he is going to be under team control right through hitting restricted free agency in 2021. The Celtics would be able to match any offer for Tatum, and if he is still on the roster at that point, they surely would.
Compare that with Davis, who hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020 and will certainly command a deal in the neighborhood of $200 million, which would eat up just about all of Boston's cap space. Throw in the fact that the C's would probably have Irving on a max deal, as well, and the Celtics would be spending most of their available money on two players.
Not only would Tatum come cheaper once he hits free agency for the first time in two years, but the Celtics don't even have to worry about it until the summer of 2021.
That is a long way away, meaning that Tatum would, at the very least, be wearing green up until then. Boston would then have a bit more wiggle room to add other pieces, something it would not have the luxury of doing with two max guys.
2. Camaraderie
It's obvious that Tatum is loved by his teammates. While Jaylen Brown's relationship with the rest of the Celtics players is somewhat questionable, the same cannot be said for Tatum, who seems to be a great locker room guy.
Tatum is also great friends with Irving due to their Duke connection.
While this Boston group has not been together very long, it has definitely formed a bond, and you could see how close the team was during last year's Eastern Conference Finals judging by the skirmishes the guys got into with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Chemistry might be a bit overrated, as winning cures all, and it's not like Boston has been praised for its great locker room this year anyway, but you do have to wonder how trading Tatum would affect the rest of the players who have been growing up with him.
1. Potential
Here is the thing about Tatum: he has the potential to become a top 10 player in the league, and that is the type of guy you want to pair with Anthony Davis rather than trading him for him.
The problem is, there likely is no Davis deal without Tatum, so the Celtics are going to have to make a choice.
Based on everything we have heard, it seems that Danny Ainge and the rest of Boston's front office has already chosen Davis, as rumor has it that the C's will have Tatum on the table in trade talks for the superstar big man come this summer.
But is that something the Celtics will regret?
Guys will Tatum's skillset are rare. He is an athletic freak who can shoot, post up and finish over and around people on the offensive end and has the length and quickness to be a disruptive, versatile force defensively.
How many times have we seen Tatum affect passing lanes due to his length, particularly during last year's Celtics playoff run?
In addition, Tatum also has solid court vision, showing the instinct to pass out of open shots to find teammates for easier buckets and demonstrating the capacity to seek out cutters for layups and dunks off of his dribble drives.
Essentially, Tatum has the makings of a superstar in his own right, so Boston may end up trading a superstar plus other pieces for another superstar.
Of course, Davis is special and is already established. Plus, he is just 25 years old, so you can certainly understand the Celtics' urgency to swing a deal for the power forward.
You just have to wonder if the Celtics will look back on a potential Tatum-for-Davis deal as a grave mistake.
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