Luka Doncic and De’Aaron Fox trades are a reminder of how big Celtics’ bet on Tatum and Brown is

By Khari A.

Thompson COMMENTARY As the Kings and Mavericks shipped their stars out of town this week, one cant help but be reminded of how the Celtics have taken the opposite approach with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

DeAaron Fox and Luka Doncic are on their way to new organizations .

Fox will team up with Victor Wembanyana in San Antonio, Doncic with LeBron James in Los Angeles.

Tatum and Brown, who won their first championship together last season, each signed Supermax contract extensions with the Celtics worth more than $300 million apiece.

Players who have seven or eight years of NBA experience, an All-NBA selection two of the three previous seasons, and have never changed teams are eligible for the Supermax.

Fox and Doncic would have met the criteria this summer had they stayed with their respective franchises.

The circumstances that led up to their trades were different.

Dallas, which had lost to the NBA Finals last season, had reportedly grown impatient with Doncic.

His conditioning was a major concern that raised questions about a longterm commitment, according to ESPN.

His defense was also a noticeable issue in the series against the Celtics, who hunted him in pick-and-roll situations.

Fox is not only in tremendous shape, hes one of the best transition players in the league.

However the Kings, who had won at least 46 games in each of the past two seasons, have shown signs of regression this year.

Theyve been treading water at 24-24 and theyve lost four of their last five games.

They attempted to shake things up, first by firing coach Mike Brown, and then ultimately settling on moving Fox.

The Celtics, on the other hand, invested in both of their stars.

They also signed Derrick White and Jrue Holiday to nine-figure contract extensions.

Bostons entire starting five is under contact for next season.

As this roster continues to age, salaries continue to increase and the current ownership group prepares to sell the team, the Celtics could have some tough decisions to make in the near future.

According to Spotrac , the Celtics estimated tax bill for this season is around $65 million.

If it were a person, the luxury tax bill would be the highest paid player on the team.

Next season, Tatum and Brown are projected to make $54 and 53 million respectively.

The NBA salary cap projected to be around $156 million according to The Athletic .

Its going to take a lot of money just to keep those two together long term, let alone the rest of the team.

The Celtics are treating it as the cost of doing business for now, but eventually, something is probably going to have to give financially.

As this weeks trades demonstrate, not every fanbase gets to enjoy the kind of approach that the Celtics are taking with their stars.

Enjoy it while it lasts, these windows dont stay open forever.

Khari A.

Thompson Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com.

Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.

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