Boston Celtics All-NBA small forward Jayson Tatum has been deemed the top trade asset at that position in the NBA for the coming 2022-23 season by the staff over at our sister site HoopsHype.
Ranked ahead of the likes of Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, rising Toronto Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes, and New Orleans Pelicans star wing Brandon Ingram, the St. Louis native is perceived by the staff panel of HoopsHype to be the ultimate trade value at the 3 based on his on-court production, age, and contract heading into next season, with the Celtics owing $134,896,800 to Tatum through the 2025-26 season.
And at just age 24, one can make the case that the Duke product has not even entered his prime yet — a scary proposition to teams around the league.
The HH panel outlines their thoughts on Tatum’s value in any trade — so great, in fact, they simply can’t conceive of a reasonable offer to Boston to pry him loose.
“The promise Tatum showed in his rookie season has finally formed into a consistent superstar. He has proven he can be the No. 1 guy on a championship-contending team when he has the right support group around him.”
“There’s no trade package that could possibly get Boston’s interest for him after the Finals run they had,” they suggest.
Though Tatum did indeed manage to transform his game in a critical way to overcome the constant double- and triple teams he faced, his shooting from 3, the free-throw line, and overall all got worse last season — due in part to that aforementioned defensive attention.
Even still, the Celtics star managed career highs in points (26.9), rebounds (8.0), and assists (4.1) per game, making the Boston star appropriately valued in our eyes.
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