Source: Celtics reach 5-year, $314 million deal with Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics have reached a five-year, $314 million contract extension, including a player option and trade kicker, with their ace Jayson Tatum, ESPN reported on Monday.

The Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the NBA Finals in June to win their league-leading 18th NBA championship in franchise history. Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, all team leads. He was also the team scoring and rebounding leader for the regular season.

Having been drafted by the Celtics with the third pick in 2017, Tatum has grown into a five-straight-time All-Star forward from 2020 to 2024 as well as a three-consecutive-time All-NBA First Team nod between 2022 and 2024. The team won over 50 games in all of the past three seasons,

Tatum had two years left of previous five-year, $163 million contract with the Celtics before agreeing to the new deal, which will begin from the 2025-26 campaign at $54.1 million.

The Celtics have also reached a four-year, $126 million extension with Derrick White, according to ESPN. Considering that Jaylen Brown's five-year, $304 million deal will kick in from the 2024-25 season, the Celtics are likely looking at an exploding payroll in the coming two campaigns.

Klay Thompson ends his 13-year Warriors career, joins Mavericks

Klay Thompson has agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN. The team reached a multiteam sign-and-trade deal to acquire Thompson by sending Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets and two NBA Draft second-round picks to the Warriors. They will be a 2031 second rounder of the Mavericks plus the least favorable of the 76ers' or Nuggets' second-round pick for 2025.

Thompson became an unrestricted free agent during the offseason after failing to reach an extension with the Warriors, with whom he won four titles as a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA Third Team selection and an All-Defensive Second Team nod. He averaged 3.1 triples at a shooting rate of 41.3 percent per game for the team.

"The amount of joy and happiness that Klay provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimized," the Warriors said in a statement on Monday. "His penchant for delivering in pressurized situations on the biggest stage, including many Game 6 heroics, has helped define a career."

"Klay's legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center where he will join a host of Warriors immortals, including those who helped shape this recent dynasty – himself included," the team added. "We thank Klay for his contributions and wish him the best as another chapter in his journey is written."

Despite Thompson's continuously slipping performance in recent years, he remained one of the hottest targets on the free agency market for his historic 3-point shooting ability in addition his size and power that enable him to switch to guard big forwards. The Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers and others in the race to land him thanks to the financial savings from living in Texas over California as well as the team's better chances of winning a championship.

The Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals last season, but lost to the Celtics. They got rid of Tim Hardaway Jr and parted ways with Derrick Jones Jr. Thompson's size and ability of stretching the floor should be of good help for the team, but they will have to fix the team's poor perimeter defense that involves Thompson and Luka Doncic.